Healing
by Douglas Neman
Summary: This story begins near the end of the film. Anna and Elsa have been hurt, and their kingdom has been hurt. This is their story of healing. It's also a story which celebrates the sisters' unconditional love for each other. It is not an Elsanna story, but some scenes could easily be considered as Elsanna in your own mind if that's your thing.
1. Chapter 1 - Getting to Know You

"Anna? But she froze your heart!"

"The only frozen heart around here is yours!"

Anna turned away, but it wasn't enough. Hans had toyed with her heart, tried to kill her, and tried to kill her sister. He had no business standing on the deck of that ship with the rest of them, and she wasn't going to let him off so easily. So she whirled back around and punched him in the nose.

Hans went overboard with a yell and made a most satisfying splash.

Feeling much better, Anna returned to Elsa's side. The sisters fell into each other's arms again, and Anna smiled at Kristoff.

After a few moments, the sisters pulled away from each other and held each other's arms, their foreheads resting gently against one another.

"I don't deserve a sister as wonderful as you," Elsa whispered.

"Of course you do," Anna said softly. "And I'll keep telling you that until you believe it."

Elsa looked into Anna's eyes. "I love you."

Anna held Elsa's face. "And I love you. Don't you ever forget that."

"I've missed you!" Elsa began to weep. "More than you know!"

Tears sprang to Anna's eyes. "And I've missed you! But we don't have to lead separate lives within the same castle!"

"I swear to you, Anna, I will never push you away again."

They held each other again for a long time. The ship rocked gently, and the sun warmed them all. They were only about 75 meters off shore, so they easily heard the cheers of a thousand people who had suddenly been given back their summer. Faintly, they could hear a member of the royal guard calling out orders in the distance. The tower bells echoed off the mountainside.

Elsa pulled away again and finally acknowledged the man and the reindeer patiently waiting nearby. She recognized the man as the one who had been with Anna at her ice palace the day before.

They approached. Olaf joined them, as well.

"Elsa, this is Kristoff, an ice man, and his reindeer Sven. Kristoff, this is my sister Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."

Kristoff bowed. "A pleasure to meet you properly, Your Majesty."

Elsa nodded.

"Kristoff helped me when I was in the mountains searching for you, and he brought me to safety. If it weren't for him, neither of us would be standing here. We owe him a great deal."

Elsa gave Kristoff a half bow. "For taking care of my sister and helping to protect the throne, I do indeed owe you a great deal. Thank you so very much."

Kristoff turned bright red. "Well...I...it was my pleasure, Your Majesty. I'm...I'm just happy that everything turned out well. And you don't owe me anything! We're...we're good."

Elsa just smiled.

Kristoff turned to Anna. "But I'm confused. What happened to Hans? He was supposed to kiss you."

Anna sighed. "I was mistaken." She motioned in the general direction of the place where she had hit Hans moments before. "Hans was just using me to get to the throne."

It took Kristoff a few seconds. "Wait...the guy you hit into the water is Hans?!"

"That's him."

"Hans told me you were dead," Elsa said. "He said I'd frozen your heart."

"He was only half lying. You had frozen my heart. Hans left me to die after gloating that he was going to kill you and rule Arendelle. But I had a little more fight left in me than he thought."

"Oh, Anna, I'm so sorry! Are...are you-"

"It's all right, Elsa! I'm fine now! In fact, I've never been better! I promise."

On the shore, a crowd was beginning to gather. Word was spreading that Queen Elsa was on a ship just off shore.

"So," Kristoff said. "Anyone know how to sail a ship?"

"Considering the fact that we're a seafaring nation, we should, but no," Anna said. The others shook their heads.

"Any idea whose ship we're on?" Elsa asked.

They looked around. "Well, it's called the _Dauntless_ ," Kristoff said, indicating a nearby plaque. "Does that help?"

Everyone shook their heads again. The blizzard had torn away the standard, so they had no immediate way to determine the ship's nationality.

"You could form an ice path across the water and we could just walk to shore," Anna said.

Elsa shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" Anna asked.

Before Elsa could answer, a squad of the royal guard came thundering down the pier. The visiting dignitaries, having witnessed events from the castle's balcony, had sent them to retrieve the queen and the princess. The guard captain called across to the ship. "Your Majesty! Princess! Are you all right?"

Elsa switched to full queen mode. She strode to the side of the ship and issued orders in a calm, loud, decisive voice.

"We are all doing very well, captain. Thank you. The emergency is over and all is well! The man in the water below us is Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Your priority is to arrest him. He tried to kill Princess Anna, he tried to kill me, and he tried to seize the throne!"

"Your Majesty, there is no man in the water below you!" the guard captain called back. "But there is a man climbing a rope back onto the ship!"

Even as he spoke, Elsa heard the sounds of a man panting and shoes thudding against the side of the ship. Moments later, directly in front of her, a hand gripped the guard rail next to a rope which was tied to it, and with enormous difficulty, Hans slowly pulled himself up. His eyes were squeezed shut with the exertion. _With his heavy clothing, treading water must have been exhausting_ , Elsa thought.

Hans got a better grip on the guard rail and hauled himself up a little further, and opened his eyes. He did a comical double-take when he saw that Elsa was just a foot away.

Elsa reared back her fist.

 _POW!_

 _Splash!_

The crowd on the shore clapped and cheered.

Elsa calmly called out again to the guard captain. "As I said, there is a man in the water directly below us. Arrest him, first. Also arrest the Duke of Weselton and his two assistants. They also tried to kill me. See to it at once!"

"The duke tried to _kill_ you?!" Anna gasped, but Elsa ignored her for the moment.

"What about you?" the guard captain called back.

"We are in no immediate hurry. Eventually, we will need a boat capable of carrying three people, one reindeer, and one magical snowman."

The guard captain gave his queen a quizzical look.

"Arrest our enemies first," Elsa called. "Details later."

"Yes, Highness!" The captain saluted and ran off to find someone with a boat.

Anna joined her sister. "The duke tried to _kill_ you?!"

Elsa sighed. "Details later."

"All right," Anna sighed also. "But what's wrong with an ice path?"

Elsa sat wearily on a bench next to the rail, facing away from the sea. The others sat next to her. Sven stood nearby.

Elsa said, "First, the people have just been scared witless the past three days, and the last thing I want to do right now is freeze the fjord again, even a little bit. It might alarm them. Second, I want our enemies arrested before I go ashore, although I admit that's not a big reason, as I have little to fear from them any more. But the most important reason is that I welcome the delay in going ashore. I need some time alone with you before I deal with everything else. We're isolated for the moment, and I'm not eager to change that."

"Oh, Elsa! We'll have all the time in the world to catch up!"

"I'm not talking about our relationship, I'm talking about debriefing you as your queen."

"Oh."

"There's far too much I don't know," Elsa said. "I need to know everything that happened, everything you did and witnessed, from the moment I ran away from my coronation."

Anna saw the tightness in Elsa's face as she spoke those last words, and she gripped her hand. "It'll be all right. The others understand! Really!"

Elsa gave a tight smile. "Just tell me. We don't have long."

Anna took a deep breath. "Well, moments after you ran off, I rode after you on my horse, and...I left Prince Hans in charge of our entire kingdom." This time it was Anna's turn to have tightness in her face as she spoke her own shame out loud.

Elsa squeezed her hand in return. "We both made some big mistakes in the past couple of days. We'll deal with that later. Right now I just need the facts."

Anna nodded. "I rode after you, but I didn't find you. I don't know why; you didn't have that much of a head start."

"I heard you calling for me, but I didn't want to be found."

"Oh. Well...okay, that explains that. Anyway, I searched the rest of the night and all the next day, and then I came to a trading post where I met Kristoff. He told me the winter was coming from the North Mountain, and he agreed to take me there."

"Why couldn't you ride there on your own?" Elsa asked.

"Oh – because my horse threw me and ran off."

Elsa sighed. "I'm so sorry, Anna."

"It's okay!" Anna said brightly. "All's well that ends well, as a famous playwright once said. Anyway, Kristoff took me in his sled to the North Mountain, and along the way, we met Olaf. He knew where you were, and he agreed to take us straight to you."

"You didn't have a sled when I met you," Olaf said. "You told me you wrecked it."

"Oh, uh..." Anna stammered, wishing the snowman had just kept his mouth shut. The last thing Elsa needed was more guilt heaped on her head, but that's exactly what would happen if she knew Anna had been in danger while searching for her. "Well...we kind of lost the sled down a ravine. It was just one of those things!"

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"You guys told me it was wolves," Olaf said.

Kristoff coughed loudly, but the snowman wasn't getting it.

"Wolves?" Elsa asked, alarmed.

"Just...a few," Anna said dismissively.

"You said it was a whole pack," Olaf said helpfully.

Sven grunted loudly. The snowman still wasn't getting it.

"Chasing you at full speed," Olaf continued. "Gnashing their teeth...slavering jaws of terror...fangs...jumping up onto the sled to rip you to pieces. You told me all about it on the way to see Elsa."

The others were quiet for a moment.

"Anna," Elsa said, "tell me _everything_. Don't make me make it a royal command."

Anna let out a little groan. "Oooooohhhhh, all right. Yes. After we left the trading post, we were chased by a pack of wolves. They were hungry, and I think we were the only food for miles around. Annnnnnnd, then there was a ravine. We couldn't stop because the wolves would get us, so we jumped it."

"You jumped a ravine?!"

Kristoff pulled a face and Anna tilted her shoulders back and forth in an _it-wasn't-that-bad_ kind of gesture. "We jumped...ish over the ravine."

Elsa stared hard at Anna.

"Okay, fine. Sven jumped while carrying me, Kristoff jumped from his sled. We made it across the ravine, and that saved us from the wolves. And we lost the sled. But, you know...it was good!"

Elsa sighed. "Oh, Anna! I am so, so sorry-"

"Don't you start!" Anna said. "We're fine. It's all okay."

Over the side of the ship came the sounds of grunting and heavy shoes banging against wood. They all turned and looked over their shoulders. Moments later, the face of Hans rose into view as he again struggled to climb aboard.

Sven jerked his head sideways. His antlers connected with Hans's nose.

"Aaaaargh!"

 _Splash!_

They turned back around.

"So, anyway," Anna said. "We found you, you and I talked, you created a snow monster and threw us out."

"And we had to run from the snow monster because he tried to _kill_ us!" Olaf piped up eagerly.

 _"What?!"_ Elsa shrieked. Anna buried her face in her hands.

Kristoff tried to help. "It's not as bad as Olaf makes it sound. Really."

Elsa was aghast. "I gave him strict orders to throw you out! I _never_ told him to harm you!"

"And he didn't!" Anna said.

"Until you threw a snowball at him and made him angry," Olaf said. "Then he became a raging, killing force of destruction, a giant from a frozen hell with the single purpose of brutally tearing us-"

"Okay, you know what, Olaf?" Anna said. "You're not helping."

"But...but...why would he _do_ that?!" Elsa asked, her jaw hanging open.

"It's like Olaf said, I made him angry," Anna said. "It was my fault."

"No it wasn't!" Elsa snapped. "That should never have happened!"

"I don't think you really had a say in it," Kristoff said.

"What does that mean?" Elsa asked.

"It means...that I think the snow creatures you create are alive and have free will."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Elsa stared at Kristoff.

"I mean, take Olaf," he continued. "You didn't even know he was alive until he told you. But he is. He doesn't carry out your will like a puppet, he makes his own choices. He has his own personality. And I think the snow guardian you created was the same. You may have given him instructions when you created him, but once he came to life, he made his own decisions, even though he was obviously emotionally tied to you."

Elsa sat back and thought about this for a few moments. Finally, she asked, "Are you sure you're just an ice man?"

"I have a lot of time to think up in the mountains."

"Evidently. So, Kristoff...what else do you think about my snow creatures?"

"Well..." Kristoff squirmed a bit. "Just remember, you asked. I have theories. They're only theories, mind you, but...I think your snow creatures are extensions of you. I think they represent parts of your personality. There's a bit of you in each of them...some part of you which you normally have to keep hidden, or which you can't express any other way. You created your snow guardian in a moment of stress, when you wanted to be alone, so it's a personification of your fear of others. You probably created Olaf in a moment when you were feeling happy, yet lonely at the same time. Am I right?"

Elsa thought for a moment, then nodded.

"So that's what he represents," Kristoff said. "As a queen, and as someone who grew up afraid of your powers, you have to keep up a facade, and you have to keep people at a distance. But underneath, there's another Elsa who desperately wants to tell the world that all she's ever really wanted is a warm hug and a chance to go play. So you created something which gives that part of you a voice. You created a happy, playful snowman so eager for affection that he even introduces himself that way: 'Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs.' He's you, Elsa. He's the real you that you keep buried deep inside. And I think that's one reason he immediately felt so loyal to Anna. In a way, he recognized her."

Elsa's lower lip trembled. Two tears ran down her cheeks. She calmly wiped them away and turned to Anna. "We need to keep Kristoff."

"I plan to."

Kristoff blushed and scuffed the deck with his toe. "Like I said...it's just a theory."

Elsa and Olaf said in perfect unison, "It's a remarkably good one."

The queen and the snowman grinned at each other. "Hello, you," Elsa said softly.

"Hello, me," Olaf replied.

Elsa reached out and stroked his head for a long moment, feeling the texture of his snow. She gazed at him in wonder, lost in the magic of his creation.

"Someone gave you a nose," she finally said. Olaf put his hands together and giggled.

"That was me," Anna said softly. "My own little addition to your creation."

Elsa grinned and touched the end of Olaf's nose. "I love it."

"I'm kind of partial to it, too!" Olaf said.

Sven grunted softly.

From over the ship's side came the sounds of oars paddling through the water. "You!" a voice called. "You're under arrest! Get him in here! Hold his arms, he might have a weapon!"

Elsa sighed. "Time to put the facade back on." But there was a smile on her face, a gentle smile Anna had not seen in a long, long time.

Elsa stood and looked over the side. The others did the same. Below, a small boat with three guardsmen and the captain hauled Hans out of the water.

"I didn't get a chance to hit him!" Kristoff complained quietly.

Anna patted his hand sympathetically.

Seeing his queen, the captain called up to her. "Are you still all right, Your Majesty?" His eyes drifted to Olaf. Yes, it was a moving, living snowman which looked back at him. The captain blinked several times.

Elsa had her queen face firmly back in place. "We're still fine. Thank you for your swift response. What news?"

"The Duke of Weselton and his men have been arrested. They offered no resistance, but the duke claims his innocence. The other visiting dignitaries are mystified by his arrest, and they eagerly await your return."

Elsa nodded, making a mental note to commend the captain later. He had given a concise report which told her all she needed to know in as few words as possible.

"What is the general feeling of the people?" she asked.

"Everyone is in good spirits, Highness," he said with a smile. "Save for this poor fellow here."

Hans did not look up at them.

Elsa allowed herself a small smile. "Very well. I shall return to the castle as soon as you arrange transport for all of us."

"I don't know about all of you," the captain said. "I can easily return in this boat to take you and the princess to shore, but I have no idea what we're going to do with the reindeer. We need a larger vessel, but none are available. All the fishermen insist that they first inspect their boats to see what damage they suffered before they trust them enough to take them out, and some of them already claim their boats need repair. It will probably be easier just to return the _Dauntless_ 's crew, and then they can dock the ship."

"Very well," Elsa nodded. "You've done well. Carry on, and take that filth to the dungeon."

"Yes, Highness! All right men, you heard her! Let's get this trash to shore!"

The guards rowed away, and they all sat down on the bench again.

"Tell me what happened after you left me on the North Mountain."

"Well, Kristoff noticed that my hair was turning white, so he figured something was wrong with me."

"Because I struck you with my power."

Anna nodded awkwardly. "Yyyyyes...your magic froze my heart. That's what Grand Pabbie told me."

"Grand Pabbie?" Elsa asked.

"Oh, sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. When Kristoff noticed my hair turning white, he took me to see the rock trolls, because he thought they could cure me."

Elsa turned to Kristoff. "You know of the rock trolls?"

"They're my adoptive family."

Elsa again raised an eyebrow. "You're just full of surprises, Kristoff."

"Wait 'til you hear him sing a duet with Sven," Anna said.

Elsa just blinked at her. Sven grunted softly, and Elsa could swear the animal was smiling.

"Yes...later," Kristoff said. "Anyway, yes, I was orphaned as a child, and the rock trolls adopted me. And I thought they could cure Anna, just like they did the first time."

Elsa turned the full queen stare on Kristoff. "How do you know about the first time?"

"I was there."

Elsa gaped at him. "Explain."

"Well, I mean, that was how I met the trolls in the first place, when I was a child. I was on an ice run one night when the king and queen and the two of you blew past me on a couple of horses leaving an ice trail on the ground. I had to see what that was about, so I followed it. It led me to the trolls, and they liked me enough to keep me. I watched from a distance while Grand Pabbie healed Anna."

Elsa stared open-mouthed at Kristoff for a long moment. Finally, she asked, "And you understood what you saw?"

"I understood enough."

"So you've always known about my power."

"Well, yeah, I guess. Is it important?"

Elsa just closed her eyes and shook her head. "The most well-guarded royal secret in the kingdom. Hidden for fifteen years behind a locked gate. And a common ice man knew about it all the time. The world is so very strange." She opened her eyes. "And you never told anyone?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Never thought about it. Never occurred to me. I heard the king say something about never telling anyone, and I guess I just figured that applied to me, too. So, no, I never said anything to anyone about it."

Elsa held Kristoff's hand. "I never could have imagined it. Throughout this entire ordeal, nothing has surprised me more than you."

Kristoff blushed. Elsa released his hand.

"So I imagine you told Anna about that night?" Elsa asked.

"On the way to see the trolls, she asked, so I felt I had to, yeah. I couldn't _not_ tell her, really."

Elsa turned to Anna. "So now you know what happened when we were children."

"Not really, but I've been able to guess."

Elsa gave a sad smile. "All the years we were growing up, you were asking the wrong question. You kept asking why I shut you out. You should have been asking why our separation was so abrupt."

"Something happened, didn't it?" Anna asked.

Elsa glanced to the side of Anna's head, and for the first time noticed that it was different. "The white streak in your hair. Did you never wonder about it?"

"I was born with that white streak..." Anna's voice trailed off as the pieces slotted together. "I wasn't born with it," she whispered.

"No," Elsa said. "You were four, I was six. You loved my magic, and I loved using it to make you laugh. Hearing your giggle as I created a snowfall was the most precious sound in the world to me. I loved using my power to make my little sister happy. Then one day I accidentally struck you on the head with my power. Your little body spun in the air and fell to the floor, and you lay so still. I thought I'd killed you. I cradled your head in my arms, and that white streak appeared in your hair before my eyes.

"That was the night it all changed. Mama and Papa took us to see the rock trolls. Their leader, I guess the one called Grand Pabbie, saved you, but he also changed your memories so that you wouldn't know about my magic any more. It was his and Papa's decision to separate us, and to keep my power secret, to protect you."

"But why?!" Anna asked. "I can understand separating us, but why not at least tell me the reason?"

"If you had been told the reason, would you have accepted it quietly?"

"Absolutely not!" Anna snapped. "I would never have let Mama and Papa hear the end of it!"

"Exactly," Elsa said. "You would have insisted that my power was harmless and that we would never have another accident, and you would have pitched a fit for fifteen straight years. Also, telling a secret to a child is never a wise thing to do."

Anna thought about this for a moment, but she had no answer, and she knew it.

"But I wasn't a child forever, Elsa," she finally said. "When Mama and Papa died, I should have been let in on the family secret."

"With perfect hindsight, I now know that's true," Elsa said. "And I'm sorry. So sorry. I made a terrible mistake. All I can say in my defense is that I had been trained diligently to keep my power a secret for your own protection, and for mine. That was ingrained within me so deeply that it never occurred to me that I had the authority and the freedom to do otherwise. I'm so very sorry. If I had just told you, none of this would have happened."

Anna thought back to that moment on her horse. _"Of course, none of this would have happened if she had just told me her secret. She's a stinker!"_

Anna took Elsa's hands. "Yes, you made a mistake. But I made a mistake by agreeing to marry a man I'd just met, and then putting him in charge of our kingdom. And you know I'll always forgive you, Elsa. Always. Because I understand. Really, I do."

"And I forgive you, Anna. We _all_ make mistakes. Life doesn't come with an instruction manual, especially when you're a child born with the power to level whole countrysides. We just...did the best we could with what we knew."

Anna pulled her right pigtail around so she could look at it, then gasped. "The white streak! It's gone!"

"It disappeared when you thawed," Elsa said.

Anna jutted out her lower lip in a pout. "But I loved my white streak! It was distinctively me!"

"I hated it!" Elsa said. "Every time I saw it, it stabbed me in the heart."

"In that case, I'm glad it's gone!" Anna said.

"So what did Grand Pabbie do?" Elsa asked. "Because he obviously didn't heal you."

"He couldn't," Anna said. "My heart was frozen, and only an act of true love could thaw it. Otherwise, I was doomed to freeze into solid ice. The moment we heard that, we raced back here like the wind, hoping that a kiss of true love from _Hans_ ," Anna spoke his name bitterly, "would heal me."

Elsa tightened her grip on Anna's hands and little snowflakes danced around her. "You know I never, ever meant to hurt you!"

"I know," Anna said. "I know. It's all right."

"But it could happen again!" Elsa said.

"It won't!" Anna argued.

"Saying it doesn't make it true!" Elsa said.

"Then we'll find a solution, somehow," Anna said. "Because I would rather risk being struck by you again than live one more day without you. That's _my_ choice, Elsa. Mine." She looked earnestly into Elsa's eyes.

"And what about the guilt I'll feel when it happens?" Elsa asked quietly.

"Your guilt, my death. Both totally worth it. Both a tiny price to pay to spend a life together. Both of them nothing when compared to the living hell of never knowing my sister again."

Elsa and Anna looked into each other's eyes, and in that moment, Elsa knew that Anna genuinely meant every word. To her, the risk truly was the tiniest price to pay.

"If it was just us," Elsa said quietly, "I would agree with you, now and forevermore. But it isn't just us. I could accidentally hurt anyone around me: someone on the castle staff, one of my own generals, perhaps even your future child." Tears pricked Elsa's eyes. "What good would our love for each other be then? What consolation would it be to that other person?"

Anna gripped Elsa's hands fervently. "I swear by all good things on Earth and in Heaven, on the good names of our dear parents, that I will find a way to solve this problem. You just need to give me time."

Elsa gripped Anna's hands in return, and smiled. "Very well. I trust you, and I believe in you."

Anna smiled.

Elsa swallowed hard and wiped her tears away. "So what happened when you returned to the castle?"

"Kristoff handed me over to the castle staff and left. They brought me to Hans. Hans and I were alone, and that's when he revealed that he didn't love me, that he was just after the throne. He left me for dead and locked the door. I was too weak to do anything. Olaf found me and saved me at first by lighting a fire for me, at the risk of his own life. Then the weather went completely nuts. A blizzard out of nowhere. I guess that was you. Then Olaf saw that Kristoff was riding back across the fjord, and...well..."

Anna's face turned red.

"Well what?" Elsa asked.

Anna couldn't look anyone in the eye. Her voice squeaked a little and she rushed her words. "Olaf might have mentioned something about Kristoff loving me, so I figured that maybe Kristoff could save me with a kiss of true love."

Elsa glanced at the ice man and grinned. Kristoff was suddenly very interested in his feet.

Sven grunted.

"So, I walked out onto the fjord towards Kristoff," Anna said. "Then suddenly the blizzard was gone, and everything was still. And I saw Hans about to kill you. I didn't even know you were here; I thought you were still up on the North Mountain. I don't know how you got here. But I couldn't let Hans kill you. So I did the only thing I could."

"I have no words to tell you how truly special you are," Elsa said.

Anna smiled. "So now it's your turn. Tell us what happened to you."

"I don't have to tell you my story. I'm the queen."

"Don't make me stage a coup."

"All right," Elsa said with a smile. "When I ran, I headed to the North Mountain, because I figured that was as far from everyone else as I could get. For the first time in my life, I just let it all go and let my power run free. I discovered so much about myself. I built an ice palace by barely thinking about it. I resigned myself to living there for the rest of my life."

"About that," Anna said. "What were you going to do about food?"

"I hadn't actually figured that out, yet."

"Uh huh."

"But I thought I was free. I should have known that running from trouble never solves anything. You reminded me of that when you arrived and told me Arendelle was frozen. My life collapsed all over again. I..." Elsa looked down. "I almost wanted to die."

Anna squeezed her hands.

"Then a group of men arrived, led by Hans, just hours after you left. The men of Weselton tried to kill me. The duke wasn't there, but it was clear they were acting under orders. It was the first time I've ever actually used my power in self-defense. I almost killed them in retaliation. Hans stopped me just in time, and he also stopped them from killing me when they had me at their mercy. Hans took me prisoner and brought me back to the castle."

"How could Hans have taken you prisoner when you have the power of winter at your command?" Anna asked.

"During the fight, the chandelier fell and knocked me unconscious. I woke up in the dungeon, my hands covered and shackled."

"That monster!" Anna exclaimed. "I should have done more than just break his nose!"

"And I still didn't get to hit him," Kristoff complained.

Sven grunted.

"Hans has ruined his own life," Elsa said. "He will pay."

"Why didn't he let you kill the men of Weselton?" Kristoff asked. "Or why didn't he help them to kill you? If either had happened, taking your throne would have been easier."

"Hans needed me alive to thaw Arendelle, so he could look like a hero," Elsa said. "The moment I told him I couldn't, his plans changed. Only then did my death become his top priority. He returned about half an hour later, and I knew from his words that he was there to execute me. I froze the cell walls enough to shatter them and break free. I was on the run, hunted within my own kingdom, within sight of the castle in which I grew up. Everything was a disaster. I was so terrified that I created a blizzard. Hans found me, and I knew I couldn't run any more. I didn't even want to run any more."

Elsa sighed heavily. "Then he told me that you were dead, Anna. He told me I killed you. And in that moment, my heart froze. In that moment, all I wanted to do was die. Everything was gone. All that remained was misery. In death, I would be with you and Mama and Papa again. I just prayed it would be quick.

"Then I heard your voice. I turned around, and instead of Hans standing over me, I saw you. Frozen into a statue of ice."

"How long was I like that?"

Elsa shrugged. "I don't know. It felt like eternity."

"Maybe a minute," Kristoff said.

"But your sacrifice was the act of true love that thawed your frozen heart," Elsa said. "And mine."

The sisters smiled at each other.

"You know, it's funny how it all worked out," Kristoff said. "You say you could have prevented all this if you'd just told Anna your secret. But if you had, how many years would have passed before you knew what kind of man the Duke of Weselton really was? How many years would have passed before you realized Hans's true intentions? It would have been too late; Hans might have already taken the throne. The events of the past few days revealed everything very quickly. In a way, it's saved you a lot of trouble in the long run. Also, you no longer have to hide your power, or shut yourself away in fear."

"That's true!" Anna said.

Elsa said, "And if it wasn't for the events of the past few days, Anna would never have met such a wonderful man as you, Kristoff."

Anna and Kristoff both blushed and said nothing. Olaf giggled.

Sven grunted.

"All right." Elsa stood up with renewed energy and a bright smile on her face. "As Anna so accurately pointed out, all's well that ends well, so let's worry no more about it. It's time I returned to the castle. It's time I came home."

Anna stood up. "It's time to tell everyone that you're back!"

"We still have no boat," Olaf said.

"Hmmm," Elsa said, looking out over the water.

"If I may make a suggestion," Kristoff said. "You say you don't want to alarm everyone by creating an ice path across the fjord. But I think you've misread the people."

"It's possible," Elsa agreed. "Sometimes we royals lose touch with what the people feel and how they react, no matter how well-intentioned we are."

"Exactly," Kristoff said. "So let me be your guide where the common folk are concerned. They're made of sterner stuff than you give them credit for, and I think a demonstration of your control over your power is exactly the sort of thing that will fill them with confidence and pride that their queen is truly back and in charge."

Elsa looked at him for a moment, appraising his words, then again looked out over the water. No boat was coming for them yet.

She raised her hands. "Very well. Let's see what I can do."

Kristoff stood, and they all watched as blue energy streamed from Elsa's hands.

The crowd assembled on the shore gasped in wonder. Elsa could only hope they weren't also gasping in terror.

Within seconds, the ship's hull was encased in a small island of ice which stretched down to the sea bed. This held the ship in place so it wouldn't rock with the waves. Steps made of ice led neatly over the ship's rail and down onto a path of solid ice which led straight to shore. The steps and the path were about ten feet wide.

"Let's go," Elsa said and began to stride forward.

"Um, if I may?" Kristoff asked. "Might we have some handrails? Ice is slippery."

A flash of blue energy, and handrails lined the steps and the path.

"And make it look decorative," Anna suggested. "Don't just create any old ice path, let them know that a _queen_ created this ice path!"

Elsa looked at Anna for a moment, then smiled. Blue energy raced along the ice, making the guardrails ornamental, decorating them in floral patterns. When she was finished, the result was not just a path, it was a work of polished art glinting in the summer sun. At the end of the path was an arch topped with the crest of Arendelle.

The crowd on the shore gasped in wonder, and hopped up and down with delight.

"Now may we go?" Elsa asked.

"Sven can't do ice steps," Kristoff said apologetically. "It's his hooves."

The left half of the steps transformed into a ramp covered in eight inches of snow. "I presume he has traction on snow?" Elsa asked.

"That should do nicely."

" _Now_ may we go?" Elsa asked.

"We may," Anna said regally.

Elsa led, her gait stately, her hands clasped in front at her waist, her held high.

Kristoff bowed and gestured for Anna to precede him. She gave a polite bow in return and followed, every bit the princess to her queen. But at the top of the steps, Elsa had stopped to wait for her, her hand outstretched. Anna took it and they smiled at each other, and they descended the steps together. Hundreds of people gathered on the shore erupted in raucous cheers, hailing their queen and their princess.

Kristoff smiled and let the sisters proceed alone. This was their moment, bonding again with their people. He, Olaf and Sven watched them wave to the crowd.

Anna's clear voice broke into song.

 _For the first time in forever, you don't have to run and hide!_  
 _And we're finally together! I will never leave your side!_  
 _The people of our kingdom love you, as you can plainly see!_  
 _And for the first time in forever, we'll be a family!_

The others followed when the sisters were about halfway across. Olaf jumped onto Sven's back. Sven used the snow, and his hooves found the traction to make it up and then down to the path.

Everyone's cheers turned to gasps of wonder as they saw Olaf. The little snowman just beamed and waved to everyone. Everyone waved back with dazed expressions.

They joined the sisters on the shore, where a squad of guardsmen had just assembled before them. The townspeople gathered around.

"I return to the castle, triumphant," Elsa announced to them all. "Please do not be alarmed by the snowman, he is a product of my magic. I will give a speech within the castle courtyard at four o'clock tomorrow. Until then, I must rest and attend to urgent affairs of state. I look forward to seeing you all then."

To the guards, Elsa said, "This gentleman and the snowman are with me, and will be staying at the castle. Please instruct the stable hands to tend to the reindeer."

"Actually, I'd like to stable him myself, if you don't mind," Kristoff said.

"As you wish." With a wave of her hand, as if it were nothing more than a minor afterthought, Elsa melted the ice behind her, releasing it back to the sea. The crowd gasped again.

They set off, accompanied by the guardsmen. Enthusiastic shouts of support, and cries of gratitude that their queen was back, followed them.

Elsa fought back the tears, not entirely successfully. They loved her. They didn't fear her. It was more than she could ever have hoped for. Just an hour ago her world lay in shattered ruins around her, but by a miracle named Anna, it had all been restored.

It was a second chance.

She would not waste it. Not one single moment.

But as happy as she was, she knew an ordeal still lay before her.

Ships of Arendelle's fishermen had been damaged by her ice. Who knew how many people's lives and businesses had been affected. The visiting dignitaries would all want to speak with her immediately; some of their ships had been destroyed, and that could cause political damage with her allies. She hoped the treasury had the ability to fund all reparations. And she would somehow have to determine the difference between a true grievance and someone just making up a story to get some royal gold. She had a strange feeling she would be relying on Kristoff more in the days to come.

She needed to let the castle staff know about the danger of being close to her.

She needed to speak to Grand Pabbie, for her mind was boiling with questions to which she desperately needed answers, and she needed them fast.

She needed to reassure her subjects, and all the other kingdoms eyeing her suspiciously, that she was strong and in total control. And she had to make this impression as quickly and as powerfully as she could, while simultaneously making it clear that she was benevolent and no threat to anyone.

Yes. So much to be done. Such a huge mess to clean up.

As she passed through the castle gates and returned home, she was relieved beyond measure. But she was already steeling herself for the ordeal ahead.


	2. Chapter 2 - Love

**Author's note: This chapter contains a brief, frank, non-erotic conversation about sex. I don't think it's a big deal, but this is your warning in case that matters to you.**

* * *

"Would you like me to speak with the dignitaries while you rest?" Anna asked after they passed through the gates. Behind them, she saw Kristoff head to the stables with Sven. Olaf stayed with the queen.

"I need to speak with them immediately," Elsa said. "I've been a terrible host and they've been helpful and patient. They are my first priority." She gave Anna a quizzical look. "Why would you make the offer?"

"Because I'm kind?" Anna quipped.

"No, I mean, is there a specific reason I should delay speaking to them?"

"Nothing in particular. But I know you're exhausted, and you're a mess."

"You just described yourself, as well," Elsa said.

"True. But I figured it was better for them to see a princess not at her best rather than a queen not at her best."

Elsa shook her head. "They know we're not going to look our best, and they know why, so that won't be an issue. I shan't insult them by avoiding them."

They reached the castle doors and Elsa turned to the guards. "Thank you for your escort, and for your service. See what help the townspeople need and give aid wherever you can. Dismissed."

The guards saluted and left.

The sisters entered the castle and were immediately greeted by Kai and Gerda. "Highness! Princess!" they said, bowing deeply. "Are you all right?"

"We are well," Elsa said. "Where are the dignitaries?"

"The guard told us you were on your way, so we asked them to assemble in your study, Highness," Gerda said.

"Thank you," Elsa said.

Gerda looked at Olaf strangely. "And he apparently wasn't joking about the snowman, either."

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I love warm hugs!"

Gerda's face was pure amazement. She blinked. "Hi," was all she could say.

"Olaf, go straight to the parlor and wait for us there," Elsa said.

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Don't argue, it's been a stressful day."

"Okay!"

The snowman ran off while Anna and Elsa hurried to the study.

Kai and Gerda continued staring at the space in which Olaf had just been standing, a dazed expression on their faces.

"Kai, have...have I been drinking?"

"Not unless I have, also."

"Have you been drinking?"

"Not today."

"Shall we start?"

"Let's."

They joined arms and turned to go just as Olaf came running back in.

"Where's the parlor?" he asked.

* * *

Anna and Elsa slowed to a stately walk, took a moment to compose themselves, then entered Elsa's study.

The dignitaries stood, their faces full of concern.

"Your Majesty, are you all right?" they all asked.

"We are well," Elsa replied. "Thank you."

"We were so worried!" said the one from Ireland.

"And Princess Anna!" said the one from France. "We are so happy to see you alive! That lying scoundrel Hans told us he had married you just before you died!"

" _Married?!_ " Anna exclaimed. "Oh, no no no! Wrong on both counts! I'm very much alive, and I _definitely_ never married Hans!"

"Gentlemen," Elsa said before they could say anything further. "I'm sure you have many, many questions. Let me try to answer some of the most pertinent.

"First, as you have clearly seen, I possess the magical powers of winter. I have had these powers since birth, but for most of my life I was unable to control them, and I was therefore a danger to those around me. Since childhood, I have lived sequestered inside this castle in order to protect others, and my power was a secret for obvious reasons. It was a secret of which not even Anna was aware. On the night of my coronation I lost control and exposed my secret, and I panicked in the most shameful way. I had long been taught that people would hate me if they knew about my power, so I assumed that hatred, and I ran in terror.

"I am so deeply, deeply sorry for the trouble I have caused you."

"Oh, no, no!" they all said, shaking their heads, but Elsa held out her hands to silence them.

"No, I must say it," she said. "You are guests in my kingdom. You are honored guests within my castle, yet I have treated you poorly, subjected you to an unexpected freeze, and destroyed some of your ships. I give you my humblest apologies, and I promise reparation for all the damage I have caused." She bowed.

"Queen Elsa," the dignitary from France said. "I know I speak for all of us when I say that we accept your apology unreservedly. We understand that what happened was an accident, and certainly, none of us hate you or think anything less of you because of your magical powers."

The others quickly voiced their enthusiastic agreement.

"Thank you so very much, gentlemen," Elsa said humbly, truly touched. "I cannot tell you how much that means to me. Thank you."

"So," the dignitary from Ireland asked, "what exactly _did_ happen out there on the fjord?"

"Prince Hans tried to kill me," Elsa said. "Anna was dying because I had accidentally struck her with my magical power. Her heart was frozen, and it could only be thawed by an act of true love. Anna placed herself between Hans and me just as she froze. That sacrifice was the act of true love which saved her, and it was also her love which finally allowed me to control my powers. We have summer again thanks to Anna."

"All hail the Princess!" said the dignitary from Spain.

"Hear, hear!" the others cried in agreement.

Anna blushed.

"And what of the Duke of Weselton?" asked the dignitary from France. "Why was he arrested?"

"His men tried to kill me on the North Mountain, and it was obvious they had been told to do so. Their actions were quite specific."

"My men told me that Prince Hans gave strict instructions that you were not to be harmed!" exclaimed the dignitary from Ireland.

"If that is so, then it is proof that the duke's men were acting under contradictory orders," Elsa said.

"It is true that the duke was convinced you were a monster, but I never thought he would go that far!" said the dignitary from Spain. "What a shame!"

"Gentlemen, I know you have had a rough time over the past three days," Elsa said. "You have been patient, and you have been forgiving, and I cannot thank you enough for that, and I will never forget it. But right now, my sister and I are both exhausted. We need food and rest very badly."

"Of course!" the dignitary from France said, bowing deeply. "We will not keep Your Highness and the princess!"

"Please join me tomorrow in the large dining hall for a special luncheon," Elsa said. "And also, please report to me any and all damage to your ships. I will take full responsibility and care, and Arendelle's finest shipwrights are at your immediate disposal."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said the dignitary from Spain. "We will be happy to join you for luncheon tomorrow!"

Elsa and Anna both bowed deeply. "Good day," Elsa said.

"Good day, Your Majesty," they all said, bowing in return.

In the hallway outside, when they were out of earshot, Anna and Elsa both exhaled deeply.

"That is one _enormous_ load off my shoulders," Elsa whispered.

"I'll bet!"

Anna took Elsa's hand and held it against her stomach so that her sister could feel it rumble.

"Right," Elsa said.

"Kitchen," they said together.

They went straight there, where, of course, they met Kristoff, who had had the same idea.

* * *

They ended up around a table together, very informally, in the back of the kitchen: Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Kai, Gerda, and Olaf, all relaxing after their terrible ordeal. Kai and Gerda had opened a bottle of wine which they offered all around, so it quickly became two bottles, and then three. They devoured most of a roast turkey and a bowl of steamed potatoes and spinach. Olaf didn't eat, of course, but Kristoff more than made up for him.

Just before the meal, Elsa popped out long enough to ask another servant to ensure that three bath fires were started.

The mood was so relaxed, and the camaraderie so enjoyable, that when they were finished, Kai treated himself to one of his cigars which he saved for special occasions.

"That was wonderful," Elsa sighed, sitting back in her seat with her eyes closed.

"What she said," Anna agreed.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day, Highness?" Gerda asked. "I take it you're going to bathe now?"

"Yes. Anna and I both need to wash, then I'm going to sleep for about twelve hours." She yawned.

"I don't need to bathe," Olaf said. "Or sleep."

Anna smiled at him. "Lucky you."

* * *

Gerda accompanied them as far as the lower corridor.

"Gerda," Elsa said discreetly. "Anna and I need to have a long discussion in private, and sound sometimes carries along stone halls. Please make sure no one comes past this point."

Gerda bowed. "Absolutely, Highness."

Elsa nodded, completely at ease. She had known Gerda her whole life, and trusted her implicitly. She and Anna proceeded down the steps to the bathing room, each carrying a basket of clean clothing and towels.

The bathing room had been added to the castle by their great-grandfather, who had been an engineer and inventor. A trough attached to the secondary bridge, and a series of sluice gates, diverted water from the waterfall above the castle into any of three stone tubs which sat on raised pedestals above fire pits. A well-stoked fire beneath a tub produced a hot bath, and it usually took about an hour to heat an entire tub of water enough to make it worthwhile. Ideally, a bather used one tub to wash and another to relax and rinse off. When a tub needed to be emptied, a sluice drained the water into the fjord. Beside each tub was a good stock of soap made from lye, and several pillows made of eider down stuffed inside thick leather to make them relatively waterproof. Because of the fires, the entire room was made of stone and set slightly apart from the castle.

Neither of the sisters took a hot bath very often. Hauling a huge load of wood to the bathing room, loading it into one of the fire pits, stoking it enough to heat the water, then emptying the ashes later was altogether a monumental task. Neither Elsa nor Anna had the heart to ask the servants to perform such backbreaking work solely for their luxury, unless they felt they really needed it. In the summer, the river water was usually pleasant without heating it, anyway.

But on this occasion, Elsa had asked for the heat because she and Anna both ached from all the running and fighting they had done. The way she figured it, if surviving an assassination attempt and a national disaster didn't merit a hot bath, what did?

Elsa was relieved to see that the fires under all three tubs had been stoked very well, so the heat should last long enough.

She took the tub in the middle and Anna took the tub on the left. Each lowered herself into the warm water and let out a sigh of pure relief.

"Oh, this is sooooo good," Anna said, and started soaping herself. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Anything," Elsa said. "Everything."

Anna grinned. "Liar."

Elsa grinned also. "I've been doing some thinking," she said after a moment. "About us. As sisters, and as rulers. I shut you out of my life, and that was a mistake in every way possible. And it was detrimental to both of us. I didn't just shut you out of my life, I shut myself out of yours, and in a way, I hardly know you. I have no idea what your favorite food is, or your favorite color. I don't know your hobbies or your plans for the future. There are a thousand childhood nights when we should have stayed up past our bedtime, just talking...just you and me...while looking out the window at the Northern Lights. We were robbed of that childhood, and we'll never get it back."

Elsa paused for a moment. Anna neither interrupted her nor rushed her. She could tell Elsa was struggling under the weight of a number of things all tangled together in her mind, so she gave her all the time she needed.

"We missed a special bonding period in our lives, and that weighs heavily on my heart," Elsa said. "It hurts. It hurts as badly as the day we were told Mama and Papa weren't coming back, and for the same reason."

Elsa looked at Anna. "So I'm going to go to the opposite extreme. And maybe that's a mistake, too, but I'm still sailing without an instruction manual. I'm going to tell you everything. And not just because you're my sister and I need your help, but because you're second in command of our kingdom, and you need to be aware of all the things that affect me. If you don't have all the facts, you might not make the right choice the next time we have an emergency. As the ruler of Arendelle, I cannot allow that to happen. So you need to know it all."

"Do these instructions come with a cyanide pill in case I'm ever caught?"

Elsa smiled. "No. But what I have to say is deeply private. Some of it, I've never told anyone."

"Well, then I feel properly privileged."

"Let me tell you about my magical power. I've never given it a name, but earlier you called it the Power of Winter. I like that."

"It was either that or SnowBlow. Or Blizzard. Or IceKicker."

"Let's stick with the Power of Winter."

Anna grinned.

"I don't know what my limits are," Elsa said. "I'm afraid to test them. Can I build an ice city? Can I avalanche an entire mountain range? Can I freeze the Atlantic ocean? Can I create an army of ice soldiers?" She paused, then whispered, "Am I the most powerful person on Earth?"

Anna thought about it. "You know...you just might be."

Elsa swallowed hard. "I don't want to be the most powerful person on Earth."

"I'm just glad you're a good person. Can you imagine someone evil being born with the Power of Winter?"

Elsa shuddered. "Actually, I can," she whispered. "And that's another thing. I was born with the power. Why? Why me? Where did it come from? Does someone else in our family have magic and we just don't know? Mama and Papa said they had never heard of anyone with magic in either of their families. I sometimes wonder, did lightning strike Mama when she was pregnant with me? Is it just random? Is it natural? Do you have magic that you don't know about?

"On top of that, out of all the millions of people around the world, the one person who was born with this power is also the ruler of a nation. What are the odds of that happening? Is that really a coincidence?"

They were silent for a moment. Anna had no answers, and they both knew it.

"And then there's the issue of control, which is more important," Elsa said. "Because of your love for me, I was able to let go of the terror that was paralyzing me. When I did that, I was suddenly able to thaw ice as well as create it, something I've never been able to do before today.

"But I highly doubt my control is absolute. No one has complete control over his or her own body. When we sneeze, when we sleep, when we flinch because something startles us – all these are situations in which we are not in control of ourselves. My power is a part of my body, so when I'm not in control of my body, I'm not in control of the power. It can erupt at any time."

Elsa paused long enough to hold her breath and dip her head under water for a few seconds. Anna took the opportunity to do the same. They each spent a few moments washing their faces.

Anna climbed out of her tub and went to the third tub to rinse off. "Oh, this heat is wonderful, but I may need you to blow some icy air on me when we're finished," she said. "Is cold air part of your repertoire?"

Elsa climbed out of her tub. "I don't see why not."

"What about normal ice and snow?" Anna asked, laying her head back against one of the leather pillows and stretching out her feet. "Can you tell a winter storm to go away?"

"I have no control over normal ice and snow at all." Elsa lowered herself into the opposite end of the rinsing tub. "I can only control whatever I create. Perhaps that's a good thing. I don't want to be in charge of the world's weather. Everyone would blame me for not fixing it."

Anna laughed, then the smile disappeared from her face. "Wow, that's true. People _would_ get angry at you."

Elsa lay back on a pillow and stretched out her legs. She and Anna giggled when their feet met and tried to occupy the same space. Anna moved her legs to one side. They lay still, enjoying the water.

"Also, I don't feel cold," Elsa continued after a moment.

"I should hope not. I think the water's great."

"No, I mean, I never feel cold weather. I'm aware of it, but it doesn't affect me. I like heat just as much as the next person, and I don't have any particular desire to be cold. But even up in the mountains, and in my ice palace, I was comfortable in a simple dress. I don't know how cold I would have to get before it would bother me. I might be completely immune."

"Useful."

"Mmm."

They enjoyed a comfortable silence for a minute or so.

"Anyway, what I was saying about control," Elsa said. "That's the big issue. I'll continue wearing the gloves. They always helped. Even though I now feel in control, there will always be those moments when something might erupt out of me by accident. It only has to happen once. If I ever become extremely frightened or extremely angry, I have no idea what will happen. That's something we'll have to watch out for. I don't want people to walk on eggshells around me, but at the same time, the uncertainty and danger of my power dictates that certain precautions must be taken around me more so than around other people. Some rules will be different for me, and that's just how it is. But the real problems involve sleep and sex. That's when I have no control at all."

Anna's eyebrows shot up into her hair. "When have you had sex?"

Elsa smiled. "I haven't. I'm a virgin. But I masturbate every few days, and when I have an orgasm, the Power of Winter erupts out of me in all directions. It destroys just about everything in the room. The same thing happens whenever I have a nightmare."

Anna furrowed her brow, puzzled. "I haven't noticed work crews constantly being called in to rebuild your bedroom."

"That's because there's no bed in my bedroom. I have a connecting suite which contains nothing but a bed. Starting around the time we were separated, I began destroying my bedroom repeatedly because I had nightmares, and nothing could get them to stop. Papa had no choice but to dedicate one of the rooms to be for sleeping only, and he installed steel plates over the walls and over the window. He did the work himself; he knew he couldn't hire someone else to do it. The bed has a leather cover which I replace about once a year. It keeps the mattress from being shredded."

Anna stared at Elsa. "Seriously?" she whispered.

"Seriously. You can see it if you want, although I don't recommend it. It's a depressing place. Every night I have to sleep in a room with no window, surrounded by steel walls. Every night I have a nightmare. Every morning I wake up to find fresh indentations on the steel panels from the razor sharp icicles which shoot outward from my body. Papa estimated that the icicles hit the wall at about 50 kilometers per hour."

Anna stared at Elsa and swallowed. "Oh, Elsa," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Elsa shrugged. "We did what we had to. It was basically an engineering problem which demanded an engineering solution."

"But to sleep in such a room every night...never knowing what it's like to wake up to a sunbeam..."

Elsa gave a faint smile. "I've become used to it. It's just another way in which my life has to be different." The smile faded. "But it also means that I can never allow myself to sleep outside of that room. A single nightmare would cause major property damage. And I can never allow myself to sleep in the presence of anyone else. One nightmare, and everyone around me would be eviscerated in the blink of an eye."

Anna stared at her, stunned.

"It's the same when I have an orgasm," Elsa said. "When I masturbate, I have to do it on my bed. And just like with my nightmares, if I ever have an orgasm when I'm with someone else, that person would die instantly." Elsa fixed Anna with a sad stare. "I can never take a lover, Anna," she whispered.

Anna moved without even thinking, she was so overcome with emotion. In two seconds she was by her sister's side, holding her. Elsa hugged her back. Time stopped for both of them.

After what could have been seconds, or minutes, or years, Anna loosened her grip and faced Elsa, but she kept her arms around her. "Elsa, I am more determined than ever to find a solution to this problem," Anna whispered, tears in her eyes.

Elsa was touched. "I know you are. And I know I couldn't stop you even if I tried." She stroked Anna's face. "Thank you."

Anna rested her forehead on Elsa's.

"But I want you to be prepared for the possibility that there is no solution," Elsa said.

"I will not prepare myself for that possibility, because that is not an option," Anna said. "But thank you for trying."

Elsa laughed softly.

Anna settled herself next to Elsa, shoulder to shoulder. "Why do you have nightmares?"

"Because I'm so scared. Scared of my power, scared of never being loved, scared of hurting people, scared of being abandoned. I have about four or five repeating nightmares. The worst is the one in which Mama and Papa are taken away. I don't know that I'll ever be rid of that one. The one in which I accidentally kill you is just as bad. That one almost came true. Then there's the one in which I'm being chased through a forest by villagers carrying pitchforks and torches and screaming that I'm a witch." Elsa sighed. "I have some others, but those are the big ones."

Tears streamed down Anna's face, and she kissed Elsa's cheek. "I will love your nightmares away," she whispered, and held her again. "The next time you have a nightmare, you tell it, 'No, you don't get to scare me any more, because Anna's here!'"

Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna. She squeezed her eyes shut and smiled, even though her face was full of pain.

"Well, I'll do my best," Elsa said after a moment, pulling back from Anna. "My life changed today, so maybe my dreams will change, too. Although the nightmare about Mama and Papa will probably never leave, because they really did die." Elsa burst into tears. "And I couldn't go to their funeral because of my damnable power!"

She buried her face in Anna's shoulder, and Anna held her and stroked her head as Elsa's deepest pain finally came gushing out. Elsa wailed and sobbed. "I never got to say good-bye!" she cried. Anna held her tight, never once letting go, feeling Elsa's body wrack with sob after sob. It lasted about ten minutes.

Finally, Elsa was almost cried out. As she sniffled, Anna held her face in her hands.

"You know Mama and Papa loved us just as much as we loved them," Anna said. "They knew exactly how much you loved them. They always knew. They still know. Somewhere, they're smiling on us, and they still know."

"But I just wanted to say good-bye!" Elsa said, tears still streaming down her face. "And I couldn't! This accursed power I was born with would have killed everyone at the funeral!"

"It's okay," Anna said. "I swear, it's okay. Really. I understand, and anyone who doesn't understand can leave our kingdom and never return, because they're not good enough to live here. You don't need a funeral to say good-bye to someone, and you certainly don't need a funeral to tell them you love them."

She held Elsa some more until her crying had mostly run its course.

"Thank you, Anna," Elsa whispered. "In so many ways, you are my rock. I would be lost without you. So lost."

"I'm here for you. Always."

Anna used her feet to retrieve her pillow from the other end of the tub and repositioned it behind her head. She lay next to Elsa, holding her hand, and closed her eyes. Elsa also lay back, leaning her head on Anna's.

"I can never take a trip," Elsa said. "Not unless we design a ship's cabin to have steel-plated walls. Not unless there's an inn with a steel-plated room waiting for me. Not unless we can somehow fix steel plates to the inside of the royal tent."

"That would make it hard to fold."

Elsa smiled. "Yes, it would. Yet, somehow, I need to travel. It's vital after what happened that I tour the kingdom. Within the next week, I need to travel to every town and meet with as many people as possible, in person. I can't be the ice queen who rules from inside a steel-plated room. I can't be forever known as the queen who froze everything. I've got to meet my subjects face to face, with no fear, and listen to everything they have to say, and I've got to do it fast. But I can't return to the castle every night. It's just not feasible. And I don't want my sleeping problem to become public information. So what do I do?"

"You tell your nightmares that your little sister is going to kick their butts! That you now have a guardian angel who will never let them near you again. And you go to sleep every night with a smile on your face because you know that we all love you."

Elsa smiled. "I will do all of that. But I also have to be practical. Remember, something bad only has to happen once."

"What if you just built yourself a new ice house everywhere you went? It would take..." Anna yawned. "...it would take less time to set up than a tent."

Elsa's eyes brightened. "That's right! I'd forgotten! I can build a new place to sleep every night! With walls thick enough to protect everyone, and no one has to know about the danger inside! Perfect!"

Anna smiled, pleased that she had been able to help. She felt herself getting drowsy, and nestled her head on Elsa's shoulder.

"I guess I could even make it an ice palace every time. Or would that be too ostentatious?"

"Ice palaces are good." Anna yawned again. "You can branch out, though. Maybe do an ice chalet...an ice chateau...an ice cottage...an ice treehouse...whatever Your Majesty desires."

"I could make a replica of our castle."

"Mmm hmmm."

Elsa noticed Anna's breathing becoming very slow and regular. She smiled at her sister.

"Are there any other secrets I need to know about?" Anna murmured.

"Oh," Elsa said, blowing out a huge breath as she did. "I've pretty much accepted that I'm a lesbian."

"'kay," Anna said. A moment passed, then she blinked her eyes open. "Wait. What?"

"I'm a lesbian."

"Are you just testing to see if I'm listening?"

Elsa laughed softly. "No. I mean it."

"Wow."

"Yes. Wow. And that means all those gentleman suitors who keep contacting me are wasting their time. It means the chance of finding the perfect person to share my life with is practically non-existent, or at least it feels like it. And it means the line of succession will almost certainly go through you instead of me, even if I ever find a way to take a lover without killing her."

"Hmm," Anna said. "You know, it's just like what you told Kristoff. You're just full of surprises."

Elsa sighed. "I believe that is the understatement of the century. And as much as I would love to lie here with you...well, forever, really...I'm just about to drop, and I know you are, too."

"Neither of us has had hardly any sleep in the last three days," Anna agreed, yawning again.

"We both need to go to bed," Elsa said. "Come on. Up up."

They climbed out, toweled off, and dressed. The fires were dwindling. Elsa could have used her power to douse them completely, but sometimes the servants took advantage of the fact that the fire was already there and stoked it again to have their own hot baths, so she left them alone.

They ascended into the main part of the castle and found Gerda sitting in a chair, reading. Gerda assured them that no one had come along. Elsa thanked her and dismissed her for the night.

The sisters climbed the stairs to their rooms, giggling as they stumbled due to their exhaustion. They reached Elsa's door first, and they paused to look at each other. Each felt the moment; it was the end of an incredibly eventful day, a monumental day in which their entire world had changed several times over. It was the first day of their new lives.

"Green," Anna said.

Elsa looked at her quizzically.

"My favorite color is green. The deep, rich green of a mountain pine. The simple green of a forest. The light green of a grassy meadow. I just really like green."

Elsa grinned. "My favorite color is blue. I love the sky. I love the fact that it's infinite."

They smiled at each other.

"Remember," Anna said. "No nightmares tonight." She kissed her own fingers, then pressed them against Elsa's heart. "My love in your heart will ward off all fears, and lead you to sail through nothing but happy dreams."

Tears falling down her face, Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna in a mighty hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything. For being my sister. For coming after me. For saving my life. For believing in me. For listening to me. For loving me. For understanding. For being my guardian angel. For being the rock on which I stand. And for a million other things I'm sure I'm forgetting."

Anna hugged her tightly. "You're welcome, in a million different ways. I will always be by your side, and my love for you is infinite and eternal, no matter what."

Elsa allowed herself to feel Anna's infinite and eternal love, and in that moment, despite her curse, life was wonderful beyond description.

"Good night, my sweet Elsa," Anna said.

Elsa kissed her on the cheek and entered her room. With a final smile at Anna, she shut the door.

And for the first time in forever, Anna knew that door was no longer a barrier.

To anything.


	3. Chapter 3 - Queen

Anna came whirling and twirling into the dining room, humming a song, her pretty green dress swirling around her. The servant carrying Elsa's breakfast had to dodge her, but Anna didn't notice. Elsa and the servant shared a smile.

Anna finished her dance by swooping down to kiss Elsa on the cheek. "And how are you this lovely morning?" Anna asked.

Elsa couldn't help but feel a rush of love flow through her. "I'm wonderful, especially now. You're sure chipper."

"Sunbeams!" Anna exclaimed. "Everywhere I look, I see open windows with sunbeams!" She sat next to Elsa.

"Your usual, Miss Anna?" the servant asked, setting a plate in front of Elsa.

"With extra strawberries," Anna said. "It's an extra strawberry kind of day." She saw that Elsa had a quill, ink, and a blank piece of paper on a blotter. "Composing a letter while eating?"

"Today's going to be such a busy day, I thought I'd save time by composing my speech while I ate. But I can't think of what to say, or how to say it." She munched on her food for a moment. "I might just wing it."

Anna thought for a moment. "Have you ever given a speech before?"

"Not a real one."

Anna knew what she meant. She and Elsa had both received extensive training from their father and from various tutors, preparing them to run a kingdom one day. They had learned ballroom dancing, royal protocol, tact, public speaking, economics, and how to sit and move like a lady of the court, among many other things. Their father had also insisted they learn to use a sword; not many people knew this, as proper ladies were not meant to engage in such brutal and violent activities, but he had insisted that his daughters know how to protect themselves, especially with no brothers around.

And, of course, the sisters had been taught all these things separately.

Anna thought back to her speech lessons. She had had to pretend she was ruling a kingdom which had just suffered a natural disaster. Her tutor had instructed her to imagine she was speaking to a large crowd of hungry people who might very well begin to riot for food within the next few days. "Speak to them with calm, sure strength and confidence," he had said. "Speak with easy authority. You know that everything will be all right, but the people standing in front of you don't know that. They're afraid. Convince them that their families will not starve. Make them understand what you understand." She was only thirteen, and hadn't done very well. Riots had probably ensued.

"Anything I can do to help?" Anna asked.

"Not that I can think of."

Anna made sure no one else was around, then asked softly, "And your dreams?"

Elsa smiled. "I had no nightmares."

"Yes!" Anna exclaimed.

"But I did experience a terrible, feverish jumble of extremes. Too many traumatic things happened yesterday, there was too much cataclysmic upheaval, so I don't think it was possible for me to sleep with complete peace. One moment I was a hunted monster who had killed my own sister, the next I was the luckiest person in the world with the best and most loving sister anyone could ever have. So, I felt your love in my dreams, and it protected me. But my night was not peaceful."

"I will claim that as a victory! And I will never give up until you know nothing but peace."

"I don't doubt it."

The servant returned with Anna's breakfast. "Thank you," Anna said.

"And what makes today an extra strawberry kind of day?" Elsa asked.

Anna stabbed a strawberry slice with her fork and held it up to Elsa, who daintily took it with her teeth. They smiled at each other.

"Because we're alive!"

* * *

Elsa swept into the luncheon with a smile on her face, dazzling in a sun yellow dress. Before anyone could say a word, blue energy swirled briefly in the center of the room, leaving in its wake an ice sculpture of an eagle, wings spread, landing on a cliff top, surrounded by pine trees.

Everyone gasped.

"Good day," she said.

Her dramatic appearance had the intended effect. The dignitaries laughed with delight and bowed graciously.

After standing around, drinking champagne and chatting for a few moments, they sat at a rectangular table, with Elsa at one end and Anna at the other. The servants brought out plates of delicious pot roast, with onions, carrots and potatoes, followed by pudding for dessert. The conversation was as relaxed and cheerful as the ocean breeze and the summer sun lazing through the open windows.

When Elsa asked about the state of their ships, she received an enormous boon which took her breath away. Only two ships had been destroyed, and by fate or by the purest of luck, they belonged to Weselton and to the Southern Isles, the two nations to which Arendelle owed no recompense whatsoever. Elsa almost wept with relief. Not only had she committed no great harm to any ally, she had also been spared the sizeable drain on the treasury, which she had been dreading deeply. All other damage was minor, and with Arendelle's shipwrights working around the clock, all repairs would be complete within three days.

The dignitary from France offered to take Hans back to the Southern Isles. Although no one said it aloud, everyone understood that Elsa and Anna wanted neither the embarrassment of a trial nor the dirtiness of an execution – that it would be easiest, politically, if Hans just went away. "I know and admire King Brogan," the Frenchman said. "I find it very difficult to believe that he would ever condone his son's behavior. In fact, once King Brogan learns what his youngest son has done, I fully expect him to react with such shame and outrage that Hans will wish he'd remained here to be executed."

The dignitary from Spain offered to take the Duke of Weselton and his men away from Arendelle, as well, and drop them off at their home. Elsa graciously accepted his offer. Unlike Hans, the duke would receive no punishment from a superior, for he ruled Weselton. However, he would have to endure the outrage and shame of his own people. They were going to be deeply unhappy with their ruler once they learned what he had done, and once they learned what kind of economic hardship they would all suffer because of him.

Elsa had a feeling the duke would receive swift and just punishment, without her having to lift a finger. She thought of how her father would have approved. "Now _that's_ the way to rule!" he would have said with pride. "Achieve results indirectly, with subtlety, and with minimal effort and cost. That's my girl!" Thinking about her father brought a tear to her eye. She quickly wiped it away.

After the luncheon, Elsa amazed and entertained her guests by creating large snowflakes, each one unique, and floating them about the room. She finished with a gentle and brief snowfall.

When Elsa and Anna finally took their leave, their guests were well satisfied and very cheerful.

The sisters retired to Elsa's study.

"Are you sure we should allow the duke to leave unpunished?" Anna asked when they were alone. "I mean…I sort of understand about Hans. Personally, I want Hans as far away as possible, as soon as possible. He's just a prince, and his own people will deal with him. But the duke is going to get away with nothing but his dignity hurt!"

Elsa smiled, and explained her expectation of the duke's immediate future. She reminded Anna of the advice their father had given them, to rule a kingdom with subtlety and political deftness.

"But what if you've misread the situation?" Anna asked. "What if the people of Weselton support their duke out of loyalty? Communities, and clans, often do that – they defend and support one another, regardless of who's right and who's wrong."

"Loyalty to the royalty," Elsa said. "It could happen. But it's a chance I'm willing to take, and we hold the upper hand.

"If we execute the duke, we risk war, which would ruin thousands of lives for generations. The fact that we would be within our rights to execute him would be no consolation to the many who suffer. Neither of us would ever want that, and neither of us values her own life so dearly. Even if there was no overt war, Weselton would still become deeply unfriendly, and would remain so for many years. Weselton is only 30 leagues away, and I dread an enemy forever on our doorstep.

"On the other hand, if we send the duke back with his tail between his legs, we are the rulers who showed mercy, while he is the ruler who lost his ship, his senses, and his dignity. If his people support him, anyway, then I admit I lose that gamble, but when compared to the unmeasurable cost of the alternative, that's a gamble I'll take every time.

"But I don't think I'll lose that gamble. Even if his people support him at first, they'll feel the pain of the cessation of trade, which will hurt Weselton more than it will hurt us. Weselton retraded many of our goods to others further south, and we can bypass Weselton and trade with the lands further south, ourselves, quite easily. Remember the old saying: every kingdom is three meals away from a revolution. Nothing provokes ill will more than empty coffers and empty stomachs.

"Also, I have faith in the people of Weselton. By and large, they're good, honest folk. They will not be pleased with the duke. And if I have to, I'll send operatives to their taverns disguised as common travelers, and these operatives will spread dissent against the duke through casual conversation."

"Elsa!" Anna exclaimed. "You would do that?"

"If I had to. But I doubt it will come to that. I'll share my prediction with you, though you are not to share it with anyone else. I predict that within one month, Weselton will send an envoy to tell us that the duke has retired, his nephew is the new ruler, and they would like to apologize for the duke's actions and to re-open trade."

Anna shook her head in wonder. "I sure hope you're right."

"No action is without risk. That's what makes life so difficult. But if I am right, then the duke will receive his comeuppance, we will be rid of him, and we will retain Weselton as an ally and trading partner, all with hardly any effort."

Anna smiled. "I'm glad you were born first."

Elsa laughed.

* * *

The people of Arendelle packed the courtyard. Near the front of the crowd stood the visiting dignitaries and high-ranking members of Arendelle's army and navy. Just behind them, by Elsa's instruction, was the castle staff and Arendelle's shipwrights. Kristoff and Olaf stood near the front, as well. Anticipation was high.

At 4:00, Kai opened the castle's main door and stepped out. "Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Everyone bowed. Elsa stood before them, and held no paper in her hands. Anna stood behind her and slightly to one side.

Elsa spoke clearly, trying with all her might to project her voice with her tiny frame.

"To my distinguished guests, to my generals and admirals, to those who serve the royal family directly, and to all the people of Arendelle, good afternoon, and I hope you are enjoying your summer."

There was a tiny ripple of mirth through the crowd.

"Twenty-one years and five days ago, I came into this world, a seemingly ordinary baby like any other," Elsa continued. "But it didn't take long for my parents to discover that I was not ordinary. For reasons I do not understand, and may never understand, I was born with a magical power, which has been a curse much more than it has been a blessing. As you have seen all too well, I have the Power of Winter. I can make the world grow cold. I can create ice and snow. Lots of it. I even have the ability to create living creatures made of snow. Some of you have no doubt met Olaf, the living snowman, who lives with us in the castle now.

"For years, I could not control my magical power. I caused endless property damage, for the power erupted out of me at the slightest touch. The power also erupted out of me whenever I was angry or afraid, and my fear was self-reinforcing. I was afraid, so my magical power wreaked havoc out of my control, which in turn made me more afraid, which in turn made the power even more chaotic and dangerous, in a never-ending and vicious downward spiral.

"When I was six years old, my parents made the decision to limit my contact with other people, and to keep my magical power a secret, out of fear that any manner of harm might come to me, or to someone else. This is why we closed the castle gates all those years ago, and why I have made as few public appearances as possible. My own sister, Princess Anna, was not even allowed to know my secret. Our parents chose to raise us separately, even though we shared the same home, in order to protect Anna from me. For when we were very small-"

Elsa faltered for an instant. She closed her eyes, took a quick breath, and continued.

"For when we were very small children, there was in incident in which I almost accidentally killed Anna. This is why I believe that my power is no gift from any divine providence, for no beneficial deity would ever place such devastating power in the hands of a child who cannot even yet ride a horse.

"After my parents died, I continued unswervingly the practice of hiding from the world. I lived in dread that anyone who knew my secret would turn against me, and view me as a monster, as a freak of nature. This constant dread translated into an even greater lack of control over my power, which in turn, intensified the terror that I would never be seen and accepted as a human being in my own right, which in turn led to even greater lack of control over my power, in yet another never-ending and vicious downward spiral.

"There are not enough words to tell you how powerful these feelings were, how intense my need to keep my power a secret, how terrified I was of the rest of humanity.

"On the night of my coronation, my greatest fear came to pass. I lost control in front of others. The Power of Winter erupted out of me, and I came face to face with a world that called me a monster and looked at me as if I was horrible creature. This was a fear, and a shame, too great to bear, so I ran, and my fear and shame were so powerful that I plunged our entire kingdom into a harsh and sudden winter."

Else paused and took a deep breath. The crowd hung on her every word.

"I am sorry."

She let those words float out over the crowd for a moment.

"I hurt all of you. I let you down. I embarrassed myself, and by extension, I embarrassed all of Arendelle. My intention had been simply to leave, and to live my life in total isolation, so that I could hurt no one, and no one could hurt me, and to leave the throne to Princess Anna, and to leave all of you in peace. And it was Princess Anna who pursued me, and reminded me that I cannot run from trouble, that the world's problems are never solved that way.

"And it was Princess Anna who saved me, and saved you. Prin-"

Elsa fought for a moment to hold back tears. Her body quivering, she continued.

"Princess Anna loves me unconditionally. And if you have ever known unconditional love, then you know what a gift that is, beyond measure and beyond description. It was Princess Anna who pleaded with me to return to Arendelle, and refused to give up on me, and refused to abandon me. It was Princess Anna who threw herself in harm's way to save my life, even after all I had done. And she saved me in so many, many ways. It was Princess Anna's supreme and infinite love for me which broke the vicious cycle of fear which has dominated my life. For the first time in my life, like a drowning person who finally breathes a precious lungful of air, I experienced an emotion that wasn't fear, and in that moment, the downward spiral that had defined my life was finally broken."

Tears ran down Anna's face. Several people in the crowd were weeping, as well.

"It was in that moment that I finally achieved command over my own magical power. All the years I lived in fear, it was actually love that was the solution.

"I love Princess Anna." Elsa could no longer hold back the tears, and wept openly. Anna strode forward to take her hand. "She is more than my sister. She is the rock on which I stand, the sunlight which illuminates my soul, the solace for my pain, and the calm for my fears. If this wretched magical power has been a curse, then Anna is the blessing which saves me."

Elsa paused a moment. She and Anna wept unashamedly before their people. The citizens of Arendelle stood enraptured, many crying openly.

Suddenly Elsa shouted, "All hail the Princess Anna!"

The crowd erupted. Anna burst into a fresh set of tears and bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Hail Princess Anna!" everyone shouted, again and again.

Elsa grinned, and squeezed Anna's hand. She did not motion for the crowd to be silent again, she simply let the adulation run its natural course. Anna curtsied demurely, acknowledging their praise. The cheers lasted about a minute. Only when the crowd finally became relatively quiet again did Elsa raise a hand to signify that she had more to say. Silence returned, but everyone was grinning from ear to ear. Anna's face still burned bright red, but she didn't let go of Elsa's hand.

"I realize that the winter I created has caused problems," Elsa said. "Boats were damaged, gardens were ruined, livestock was killed. Some of our food stock has been destroyed. Luckily, freezing food doesn't always ruin it. I commend those of you who quickly rushed grain, vegetables and livestock into proper storage and protection. In the coming weeks, I will take stock of what we lack, and purchase whatever food we need for the winter. Fortunately for Arendelle, we are not an agrarian nation. If we were, the winter I created would have been devastating. But since our main commodities are wool, fish and lumber, I have high hopes that we, as a kingdom, will not fare too badly.

"Speaking of the coming winter, allow me to clarify one very important thing. I have the power to create ice and snow. I have the power to manipulate the ice and snow which I create. But I do _not_ have any power whatsoever over _natural_ ice and snow. In six months' time, when you feel the harsh bite of a snowstorm, please do not grumble to yourselves that your queen is responsible either for creating it or for failing to shield you from it, because I will be neither. I have no more power over a natural winter than you do, and a natural winter will force those of us in the castle to huddle beside our fires just as much as it will you. I cannot thaw rivers which freeze naturally, and the icebergs of the Atlantic will continue to do as they will.

"For those of you who suffered material loss due to the winter I created, please come to me, or come to Princess Anna, with your grievance, and we will make restitution as best as we are able.

"Also, I commend the shipwrights of Arendelle, some of the finest in the world, if I may be so bold. I realize you are working extra hard and long hours to repair the ships of our honored guests, and you have my undying gratitude, and will be handsomely rewarded for your dedication. Thank you.

"Within a few days, I will tour the kingdom, and I will meet with as many of our people as I can. I will begin by touring the town of Arendelle, and visiting with many of you.

"From this day forth, the castle gates will remain open as a matter of course, for I hide no longer. It is my hope and desire that they never need be closed again.

"And finally, I wish to speak to those who serve the royal family here in the castle. I realize that magical power is frightening, and although I have finally been given the gift of control over my power, it would be unfair of me to pretend that I have absolute control every second. For example, if something were to startle me, such as a mouse or an unexpected loud noise, my magical power might accidentally shoot out of my hand and hurt someone, possibly severely. I will continue to wear gloves. By far, gloves have always been the best method of protection from my magic. But no matter how many precautions I take, there will always be the chance that I will accidentally hurt someone around me. I believe this chance is small, but it does exist, and it only ever has to happen once for tragedy to ensue. Therefore, if any member of the castle staff wishes to receive a modest amount of money as a gift of severance and be dismissed from service, I will grant your desire, and wish you blessings and peace. It will not offend me or bother me in any way, and I will have nothing but the utmost respect for you and for your decision.

"If any of you have any questions for me, please ask, and I will answer as best as I am able."

Elsa and Anna looked out at the sea of smiling faces, but no one raised a hand. A few seconds passed. Realizing no one was going to ask anything, Elsa opened her mouth to say her farewells, but just then, a little boy, near the front of the crowd but off to one side, piped up. "Will you make it snow?"

Elsa looked at him in surprise, then smiled. "Are you sure, after what you just endured?"

"My nana says you can make snowflakes," the boy said, and Elsa realized he was a grandson of one of the servants who had served that day's luncheon.

While taking off her right glove, Elsa announced to the crowd, "Please do not be alarmed, but I have received a request." She threw a ball of light into the air. It exploded with a small _pop_ , and sparkling snowflakes drifted down over the crowd.

The crowd was startled at first, gasping at the exploding light. This was followed by nervous laughter as the snow tickled their skins. The ordeal of suffering an unexpected three-day winter was still a little raw, and this magical snowfall made them somewhat uneasy, so Elsa decided to demonstrate still more control.

Blue energy danced in the air above their heads, leaving in its wake a snowflake 30 feet across. The crowd gasped in wonder, and watched with their jaws hanging open.

The snowflake hovered, spinning slowly. It was paper thin, and it was obvious to everyone that it was exceedingly delicate, that even the tiniest touch would cause it to unravel. Such a snowflake would have been impossible to maintain in the winds coming off the ocean, but within the courtyard, the walls blocked most of the wind, so Elsa was free to let it float undisturbed.

As the crowd watched, the snowflake's fractal design grew, shrank and shifted like a kaleidoscope. It rose about ten feet into the air, drifted down again, rose again, then finally split into millions of tiny snowflakes which again drifted down onto the crowd.

Everyone applauded wildly. Elsa and Anna smiled.

"That was wonderful!" the boy shouted. "Thank you! May we go ice skating?"

"You wish to go ice skating in summer?" Elsa asked.

The boy nodded eagerly. "If you please, Your Majesty."

"Well, how can I deny a request from such a polite young man?" Elsa turned to the crowd and announced, "Tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning, anyone who wishes to ice skate, please join us here in the castle courtyard."

Everyone cheered and laughed.

"Peace be unto all of you," Elsa shouted. "Thank you!"

"Hail Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" the people shouted, and bowed to her and applauded. Elsa and Anna let go of one another's hands just long enough to curtsy to all of them in return. Then they joined hands and waved, then disappeared back inside the castle.


	4. Chapter 4 - Guidance

The procession wound its way across the countryside, through meadows, beneath proud mountain peaks, past roaring waterfalls, through lush forests. Anna's heart was filled with light and wonder with every step. Arendelle was truly a magnificent land!

The sisters led the way, with Kristoff and Sven accompanying them. Olaf, a handful of servants, a few couriers, and a squad of the royal guard came behind.

Elsa had been torn about bringing Olaf. On the one hand, he was proof of the power and goodness of her magic. On the other hand, he unnerved every adult he met, at first. She had ultimately decided to bring him, because she could always send him back if the people's initial reactions were too negative.

But Olaf had proven popular, primarily because he was so sweet, innocent and enthusiastic that he won people over through the sheer goodness of his heart. He truly did not know that the sight of a magical creature could make someone feel uncomfortable, and if anyone ever sat him down and explained that to him, his little spirit would be broken irreparably. So no one did, and he continued telling people, "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Elsa also gave Anna and Kristoff some space to themselves occasionally. It made her heart soar to see her sister so happy, and she smiled at the awkward way they flirted with each other. She could tell that Anna wanted to declare herself betrothed, but her mistake with Hans still stung so badly that she was deeply hesitant to make another such commitment so soon.

Elsa also knew that Anna was terrified to ask her to bless any such marriage, lest she react the same way she did the first time. Elsa wanted to ease Anna's mind about that, but that was one of those delicate conversations which depended completely on timing, and the opportunity had yet to present itself. Elsa had no misgivings about Kristoff. In fact, she found herself constantly fantasizing what Anna and Kristoff's children would look like.

The royal procession traveled a route designed to take them to each village and hamlet in the kingdom. Along the way, they stopped at any homesteads they came across. The trip was originally planned to take five days, but Elsa met so many people, and insisted on visiting each one as long as necessary, that that schedule was quickly abandoned. She was always regal and friendly. Criers had already delivered her speech throughout the kingdom, but Elsa still made sure to communicate to her subjects her care for them, her feelings, her powers, her limitations, and her hope for the future.

Elsa also asked the people to tell her their problems and concerns, which led to a few interesting situations.

On the second day, people in one region told Elsa that the local bear population was growing, and coming into conflict with expanding settlements. Several people had already had frightening encounters. They had sent word for trappers to come into the area, but most trappers wanted beaver or fox, not bear, so the problem was unresolved. Elsa promised to send word throughout the kingdom, encouraging hunters and trappers to consider coming to the region and thinning the bear population. If hunters and trappers were still uninterested, she would intervene directly, perhaps sending soldiers to deal with the problem.

On the third day, Elsa learned that the people in one village were upset at the amount of tax they had to pay. This puzzled Elsa. Arendelle was a wealthy nation, so the taxes on its populace were very low, and no one else had complained. After a few inquiries, she discovered that the village had been overtaxed for years and the local tax collector had been pocketing the extra amount. Elsa flew into a rage. The tax collector was arrested and sent to the castle under guard, and all of his belongings seized. Elsa appointed a new collector on the spot and charged him with the duty of repaying the people from the old collector's money and belongings.

And so it went. Almost everyone she met was thrilled with her visit, and she left an ocean of goodwill in her wake.

Among the royal procession, the only oddity was Elsa's insistence on enclosing herself within a small structure of ice, with thick walls, every night as she slept. Only Anna knew why. Everyone else traveling with them, even Olaf, thought it strange, but no one dared question it. Anna sensed that Kristoff sensed that she knew the reason, but Kristoff never asked.

Externally, Elsa's sleeping house was a different beautiful work of art every night, so at least it was pretty to look at.

Anna and the servants slept in the royal tent. Kristoff did not sleep in the royal tent, as both he and Anna felt it would be improper for him to do so in this situation.

Each night, Olaf lay on his back and watched the stars, patiently waiting for the humans to wake.

Each morning, Elsa reported to Anna that she still had nightmares, but they were lessening considerably, and her sleep was becoming more restful every night.

And everywhere they went, Anna discreetly inquired about any other magical creatures or artifacts. But so far, no one knew of any.

* * *

As they broke camp on the fourth day, the sky was mostly overcast, but not gray. They could see rain several leagues to the south, but it would obviously pass them by. The clouds shaded them from the hot summer sun, and the wind was nice and cool without being too brisk.

Anna mounted her horse with a beatific smile, letting the wind cool her face and blow back her hair. (For the trip, she and Elsa had both elected to let their hair hang loose rather than waste precious time braiding it or winding it into a bun every day.) She turned to Elsa and noticed a slight tension in her face. It was something no one else would have spotted.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked.

"Nothing." Elsa gave her a tight-lipped smile.

Anna tilted her head, raised her eyebrow, and gave her a look. "Remember to whom you speak."

Kristoff and Sven came up to them. Behind them, the final servant mounted his horse, and the procession was ready.

"I'll tell you in a little while," Elsa said, quietly enough so that only Anna could hear. Then the queen smiled back at her entourage, raised her hand into the air, and swept it gently forward. The procession set forth.

The journey was pleasant. Almost immediately, they happened upon a cabin inhabited by a trapper who lived alone. He was so gobsmacked at being visited by royalty that throughout the entire visit, all he could really do was stare with wide eyes, blink stupidly, and give one-syllable answers to questions.

The conversation came to a halt when Elsa said, "I'm so sorry for the winter you recently experienced."

The man just blinked and said, "There was a winter?"

For a long moment, Elsa had no idea what to say. Finally, she just smiled and wished him a good day. They took their leave and rode on.

Looking back, Anna said, "He hasn't moved. I wonder if that poor man is going to stand in the same position, with a dazed expression on his face, until sundown."

"I rather think he might," Elsa said.

They forded a stream and began climbing into the mountains. Anna didn't think they'd meet anyone for a while, so she said to Kristoff, "Why don't you go check on Olaf?"

"Nah, he's fine," Kristoff said.

Anna gave him a look. Kristoff looked at her for several seconds, then finally got it.

"Oh. Uh...right. I'll just go check on Olaf and see how the guards are doing." He and Sven slowed, allowing the sisters to ride on alone.

"So," Anna said brightly. "What's up?"

Elsa took a moment to answer. "My reasons for taking this trip are genuine; I really do want to speak with our people. But I have another, secret reason. I need to speak with Grand Pabbie. It may well be the most important conversation of my life, and I expect it to happen before the moon rises."

"You have nothing to fear from Grand Pabbie."

"I don't fear him. I fear what I may learn."

Anna thought about this. They rode in comfortable silence for a moment.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Anna asked. "It's not just Grand Pabbie."

Elsa gave her an appraising look and a small smile. "Your insight really is remarkable."

"Only where you're concerned."

Elsa grinned. "I also intend to visit my ice palace on the North Mountain." She looked wistful for a moment. "We'll be there tomorrow. I'm eager to see it again, and yet dreading it. It's going to be very emotional for me."

"I know you probably want to see it alone, but I really want to go with you."

Elsa looked at Anna, and in that moment her heart melted and she knew her answer with a certainty rooted in her soul. "Of course you will come with me," she said softly, and took Anna's hand. "Of course you will."

* * *

They lunched by a stream, in a beautiful meadow overlooking a valley. At this point in its course, the stream was only a few inches to a couple of feet deep, rushing along a rocky stretch, forming tiny waterfalls in a few places.

"I wish we were alone up here," Elsa said wistfully, quietly enough so that only Anna could hear. "I would laugh, run free and frolic in the water for hours."

"You're the queen," Anna teased her. "You could do that anyway. We await your command."

"Ah, and yet, it is never that easy," Elsa said.

As Kristoff sat down next to them, Anna noticed something a little bit alarming. "Olaf," she said. "Don't get too close to the water. You're made of snow; it'll wash you away."

"I'm just gonna stick my hands in," Olaf said.

"'Stick' is right," Elsa said. "Your arms are sticks. They'll be ripped out and taken far away in an instant."

Olaf looked at his hands sadly, then at the rushing stream. "So I'll never know what it's like to touch running water?"

Elsa's heart went out to him. She knew how he felt.

"Come here, Olaf," she said. The snowman plopped himself down beside her.

"Sometimes, life is like that," she said. "Sometimes, people simply have to live with limitations that nature places upon them. And sometimes, we can figure out a way beyond those limitations, and sometimes we can't. Maybe you'll be able to touch running water someday. Maybe we can find a way. But for now, you have to accept that it's dangerous for you. But don't let it bother you, all right?"

Olaf smiled. "I can do that."

Kristoff held out a carrot for Sven and said, "Yeah, maybe the magic they're searching for will be able to help, Olaf."

Anna took a tiny, sharp intake of breath and stared at Kristoff with wide eyes.

"Uh...sorry," Kristoff said. "Was it supposed to be a secret?"

Anna glared at him.

"What are you talking about?" Elsa asked.

Anna kept her voice low. Although she wasn't truly angry, she still spoke sternly to Kristoff. "I was trying to keep it on the downlow."

"The down-what?" Olaf asked.

Sven grunted.

"Sorry, I didn't know," Kristoff said.

"Know what?" Elsa asked.

"How did you know?" Anna asked Kristoff.

"Well, you're not as subtle as you think you are," Kristoff said. "I've heard you asking about magic wherever we go, so it wasn't _too_ difficult to figure out."

"Are you saying I have a loud voice?" Anna asked.

Kristoff turned red, wondering if there was any safe way out of this conversation. "No, that's not what I meant."

"I'm going to ask a third time," Elsa said. "And this time, I'm making it a royal command."

That got their attention.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," Anna said. She and Kristoff both bowed their heads.

"That's all right," Elsa said. "I just don't like being ignored when I ask a question."

"Quite right, and I do apologize," Anna said. "As part of my quest to help you, I have been asking everyone we meet if they know of any other magical powers or phenomena. For obvious reasons, I have tried to be subtle about it. For example, I may strike up a conversation by saying something like, 'Who knew there was this much magic in the world?' and then just letting the other person speak freely."

"That doesn't seem so bad," Elsa said. "Why is that something you would hide from me?"

Anna gave an embarrassed shrug. "Not hide, really. I just didn't want to bother you with it. It's my quest. I made you a promise, and you're already burdened enough."

Elsa smiled. "Well, I commend you for it. It's a good idea."

Anna smiled also.

"So, I'm curious," Elsa said. "Have you found anything?"

"Nothing," Anna said. "So far, the only magic I'm aware of are the rock trolls and you."

"Maybe you're asking the wrong question," Kristoff said.

Anna and Elsa looked at him inquisitively.

"What you have to understand is that the common person isn't very well educated," Kristoff explained. "The average person doesn't truly know what a sunrise is or why rain clouds form. To them, the whole world is really just one big land of magic. Perhaps what you should be asking people is if they know about anything _unusual_."

Anna and Elsa thought about this.

"Hmm," Anna said. "That's a very good point. I think we'll keep you around another day."

"Well, don't do me any favors," Kristoff said with a smile.

"So let me start with you," Anna asked brightly. "Aside from the rock trolls and the queen, do you know about anything unusual?"

"Well, there's this really spunky princess I know-"

Anna slapped his leg. They all shared a laugh.

Kristoff pondered for a long moment. Finally he said, "You know, I wonder...there is the Lake of Fire."

Elsa, Anna and Olaf all looked at him with astonishment.

Olaf said to Elsa, "I don't know about you, but that definitely sounds like one of my limitations."

"For all of us," Elsa said.

Kristoff chuckled. "The name is misleading, it's not what it seems. It looks like an ordinary lake, up in the mountains. It's not very big. What's unusual about it is that it never freezes, no matter how harsh the winter gets."

Elsa and Anna's astonishment grew.

"That definitely sounds like something we need to investigate," Anna said.

"It most certainly does," Elsa agreed.

"So where's the fire?" Olaf asked.

"Well, I don't know that there is any," Kristoff said. "People call it the Lake of Fire because everyone thinks there must be some kind of huge fire beneath it. I don't believe that, myself, because then the lake would boil in summer, right? But it doesn't."

"Have you seen this lake personally?" Elsa asked.

"I've passed by it a couple of times."

"So have you witnessed the lake's extraordinary properties yourself, or simply heard about them?" Elsa asked. "Could it simply be a legend?"

"I've never seen the lake in winter," Kristoff said. "But I don't think it's just a legend. It's common knowledge among ice men to avoid the Lake of Fire in winter because it's a waste of time to go there. The lake is in a great location, so it would be good business for us if it froze, and ice men are a very practical bunch, so I can't imagine them avoiding a good source of ice based solely on a rumor."

"Have we passed this lake already?" Anna asked.

"No," Kristoff said. "We'll be within a few leagues of it on the way home."

"Can you lead us there?" Elsa asked.

"Absolutely," he said, then turned to Anna. "Am I forgiven?"

"Come here," Anna said. "Lean over. Closer." She pecked him on the cheek. "There."

They smiled.

* * *

"Kristoff's home!"

"Kristoff's home!"

The shout echoed about a hundred times around the glen as a horde of rocks rolled towards them.

Anna heard Elsa's sharp intake of breath at the sight of dozens of rocks rushing at them. Anna quickly laid a hand on Elsa's arm. "It's all right," Anna said, chastising herself for failing to warn Elsa what to expect. "They're friendly! Just...really enthusiastic!"

Elsa put a hand on her chest and nodded, regaining her composure. She looked around in amazement as the rocks jumped all over Kristoff.

"You've been here before, remember?" Anna said.

"Only dimly," Elsa said. "And I certainly don't remember this much commotion!"

"Kristoff, what are you doing back?" one gruff-sounding troll asked. "You've only been gone an hour!"

"I've been gone seven days," Kristoff said. "You've just been asleep."

"Eh?" the troll asked. "Really? What year is this?"

The trolls parted to allow another to roll forward quickly. In an instant, Grand Pabbie stood before them. He bowed. "It has been a long time since trollkind has been blessed by a visit from a king or queen," he said. "We are honored by your visit, and we welcome you to our humble community, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. I am most happy to see that you both are well after your recent ordeal. Peace be with you here."

The sisters inclined their heads. "Thank you, gracious host," Elsa said. "The pleasure is all ours."

* * *

Anna, Kristoff and Olaf laughed and danced with the trolls as night fell. Some of the servants joined in the revelry, while others stood back, not really knowing what to make of the strange creatures.

Elsa quietly slipped away with Grand Pabbie. She hadn't even asked to see him; he seemed to know why she had come.

She sat next to him on the floor of his cave. It was lit with firestones of all colors, giving it a surreal, yet very comforting feel. As the leader, his cave was at the top of the hill, so they were a little distance from the others. From the glen below came the faint sounds of people and trolls having a good time.

"Will Your Majesty please remove her gloves?" he asked.

Elsa did so, and Grand Pabbie took her hands in his. After a moment, he sighed.

"Your magical power is truly monumental," he said. "It has grown greater, and more quickly, than I originally anticipated."

"I think we already established that when I froze my entire kingdom."

"What you unleashed upon this land was merely a fraction of your power."

Elsa's face went white. "Please tell me you're joking," she whispered.

Grand Pabbie shook his head. "Unfortunately, I am not." He paced slowly.

"Am I the most powerful person in the world?" Elsa asked quietly.

Grand Pabbie stopped and stared sadly out the cave opening, gazing at the sky, at the ribbon of colors which silently streamed from the north. "Your power is so great that I cannot see its limits," he said, so softly that Elsa almost didn't hear him. "And if any others have greater power than you, I have never heard of them."

Elsa swallowed hard, and quickly put her gloves back on.

"Grand Pabbie, as much as it vexes me to do so, I must confront you about something. When I stood before you as a child, you told me my power contained great danger."

He turned to face her again. "Aye, and so it did."

"Yes, it did. But I think you forgot that you were speaking to a child. At that age, I wasn't able to comprehend your warning with a critically thinking mind." Tears began flowing down Elsa's face. "The only thing your words accomplished that night was to make me so terrified of my own power that it became self-fulfilling! That fear ruined my childhood and became the energy source which fed the power and allowed it to grow!"

Grand Pabbie sighed and lowered his head. "Aye. It is true that I may have spoken poorly that night. All I can claim is a lack of experience with human children. I know much, but I do not know all. Furthermore, your own father agreed with me, and as much as it would pain you to admit it, if I erred in the delivery of my message, he shares the mistake, for he could have corrected it, knowing his own child better than I."

"There is some truth in that, but if my father had any misgivings, he would have bowed to your wisdom, thinking it better than his own."

Grand Pabbie shrugged and nodded. "Whatever mistakes I made were certainly not intentional. I meant only the best, as did your parents. But you know that, of course. And I deeply, humbly apologize."

Elsa sniffled. "Thank you. I understand you meant well, so I am hurt, but not angry." She breathed deeply and wiped her tears away. "I need to know more about my power."

"What can I tell you?"

"Is there a practical way I can control it? Some magical talisman or spell?"

"If I knew of such, I would have given it to your father fifteen years ago."

"All right. What about the Lake of Fire?"

Grand Pabbie shook his head. "I do not know what that is."

"Supposedly, it's a lake north of here which never freezes, no matter how cold it gets."

"I have never heard of this lake, so I cannot tell you anything about it. But Elsa, if you seek magic to harness your power, I strongly suggest the utmost caution. Things are not always what they seem."

Elsa nodded, and asked, "Where did my power come from?"

Grand Pabbie gave a tiny snort, almost a chuckle. "Magic is fickle and abides by its own rules. I can sense it, even channel it sometimes, but I am not privy to its agenda."

"You mean some intelligent entity _chose_ me for this?" she asked incredulously.

Grand Pabbie sighed. "That is a crude way of putting it. It is much more complex than that. Magic is something which exists in a realm which we mortals have no words to describe. Trying to understand magic with our clumsy way of thinking would be like an insect trying to understand international economics."

"But why me?"

"That, I cannot say."

"I have the Power of Winter, and I'm also the ruler of a kingdom. Is that a coincidence?"

"That, I also cannot say, but I doubt it. Elsa, it's very likely you were given this power for a reason."

"But what?!"

"I do not know. Perhaps some calamity will one day arise which only you can prevent. I know you view your power as a curse, for it has caused you to suffer. But there may come a day when the suffering you have endured will be as nothing to the suffering you will prevent."

"You really think so?" Elsa asked quietly.

"Oh, it's a theory," Grand Pabbie said. "Elsa, all I can tell you is what I feel in my heart, and that is that this power chose you for a reason, and it doesn't feel like a bad reason. It may be a reason so convoluted that neither of us will ever see it, but my heart tells me it is so."

Elsa gazed at her hands. "My heart doesn't know what to believe," she whispered.

Grand Pabbie took her hands in his. "Then trust mine. It may not be perfect, but it's in the right place." He smiled at her kindly.

Elsa looked at him for a long moment, then finally whispered, "Why do you feel it's a good reason and not a bad reason?"

"Because I believe that the same power which chose you also gave you the perfect sister to be your anchor, your guide, and your salvation."

Elsa wept.


	5. Chapter 5 - An Act of Good

Elsa mounted her horse, the last one to do so. She looked around at all the trolls assembled in the sunlit glen, then down at Grand Pabbie.

"Farewell, Queen Elsa," Grand Pabbie said, and every troll bowed.

Elsa smiled at him. "Thank you for your hospitality, and for your assistance. Until we meet again."

She turned her horse and set off. Anna and Kristoff waved to the trolls, who jumped up and down and waved back. Some of the smaller ones jumped onto their larger brethren to get a better look. Olaf rode on Sven and sat facing backwards, waving at the trolls until they were out of sight.

After traveling a few hundred meters, Anna saw that Kristoff was chatting with some of the couriers, so she took the opportunity to speak to Elsa without him hearing. After all, it was his family they were about to discuss.

"So, now that you've met them properly, what do you think?" Anna asked.

Elsa raised her eyebrows and made a slight _Wow!_ face. "They are quite something! Very pleasant company and lovely beings. I wouldn't want to be with them _every_ night, but I do like them a lot. I'm glad they live in our kingdom."

Elsa's heart raced as she suddenly saw her opening, and before she had a chance even to think about it properly, dove right in. "And if you and Kristoff get married, having them around the castle for a few days would be quite a treat!"

They rode for several seconds in silence, each staring straight ahead. _There_ , Elsa thought. _I've put it out there._

Anna finally gave a little embarrassed laugh. "Well, you know...Kristoff and I...we're just..."

Elsa reached out to take Anna's hand. "He's a good man," Elsa said. "I certainly don't want to meddle...I probably wouldn't be very good at it, anyway...but whatever you two decide, you will _always_ have my support. I...I...I just don't want you to be afraid to ask for my blessing. I never want you to be afraid to ask for _anything_."

Anna smiled and squeezed Elsa's hand, her way of telling her that she understood what Elsa meant, and what she was trying to do.

Anna swallowed hard and tried to find the words. She finally said, "The first time I asked for your blessing in marriage, I was a fool and you were wise. So I'll make you a deal. I'll never be afraid to ask for anything, if you'll never be afraid to tell me what I need to hear."

Elsa smiled warmly. "Deal."

* * *

They climbed higher into the mountains. After about two hours they reached a village of perhaps a hundred people, with houses mostly made of stone and mortar.

The village was situated on a large shelf on the eastern face of a mountain. The shelf was perhaps ten acres in all, and it looked to be the only level ground for miles around. On one side of the village the cliff rose for several hundred meters. On the other side was a steep drop, and some of the smaller houses were built right up to the edge. The wind was a little brisk, but not too strong. The view to the east was spectacular.

A stream cut through the rock, forming a waterfall both above and below the village. This stream was obviously the main provider of life to the village, as there were several boardwalks, small fishing piers, fishing nets, and a mill. Several arching stone bridges crossed the stream.

The road to reach the village was tricky, but not too dangerous. The village had two elders, Rolf and Varg, who greeted the royal procession as it arrived.

"I must say, this is an unusual place for a village," Elsa said. "Why, exactly, are you here?"

Rolf explained. "In olden days, Arendelle didn't get along very well with our neighbors to the east, and your great-great-grandfather, King Soren, established an early-warning outpost here. It grew to become a village, and people have simply stayed here ever since."

Elsa nodded.

"Why do you have houses so close to the edge?" Anna asked, suppressing a shudder. "I couldn't imagine sleeping in a house so close to a drop like that!"

Varg chuckled. "The height doesn't bother us. We've lived with it all our lives! But those houses were built for defense. Our village overlooks the Prebensen Gap, which is one of the few land routes to the east, and the likeliest route our enemies would have taken to attack us. Our ancestors built houses right up against the edge so they could pour burning oil, and fire arrows directly down on them. In these days of peace, though, we just sleep in them." He grinned.

"Why do you have a mill?" Kristoff asked. "You can't possibly be growing grain up here."

"We trade with the valley folk to the east," Varg said. "We send them fish, they send us grain."

"The valley folk can fish, also," Kristoff said. "They have rivers. So why would they need to trade for yours?"

"Ah, but the high mountain fish is a delicacy, and much larger!" Rolf said. "They love it!"

"Why do you trade for raw grain rather than grist or flour?" Anna asked.

"Grist and flour are more valuable, because the valley folk have already done the work to create it," Rolf said. "So if we trade for raw grain, we get more of it, and we can make grist and flour ourselves."

"Makes sense," Anna said.

"Allow us to show you how wonderful mountain fish can be," Varg said. "Please stay for lunch!"

"We shall," Elsa said.

The villagers quickly whipped up a feast. When they thought they might not have enough fish, they simply walked to the stream and caught more.

"Wow!" Kristoff said. "Meals whenever you want!"

"All day and all night, the fish are there!" one of the cooks said with a grin.

They ate, and every member of the royal procession immediately understood why the valley folk traded for the mountain fish. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

"I think we've found a new delicacy for the royal kitchens!" Anna gushed.

"I think you're right!" Elsa said.

* * *

After the meal, the villagers all gathered to hear Elsa give a short speech. By now, the speech was old hat to her, and to the royal procession, who had heard many variations of it over the past five days. As always, Anna stood beside her queen, slightly behind her.

But this speech became very different when Elsa did a double-take and stopped talking.

A girl about seven years old was climbing the outside of the chimney of one of the houses in order to see Elsa over the crowd, and it was clear that she was having trouble holding on, especially in the brisk wind. This would have been alarming enough, but the house in question was one of those built just feet away from the edge of the shelf.

If the girl was blown off, there was nothing below her for hundreds of feet.

Even as Elsa watched, the girl's foot slipped a little. The child was either fearless or too young to realize her danger.

"Someone, please take care of her," Elsa said, a quaver in her voice, as everyone turned to look at what she was seeing.

A couple of people rushed forward, but before they were even half way there, the unthinkable happened. A gust of wind caught the girl just as she was trying to reach for another handhold. Her little body was ripped off the chimney and out over the edge.

Everyone gasped. A woman screamed.

A flash of blue energy.

The girl hit a large, soft pile of snow at the top of an ice slide which hadn't been there a moment before. She slowly slid down the slide, back to safe ground, into the waiting arms of her mother.

A stunned silence gripped the crowd for a moment.

Anna swallowed hard. Shaking, she turned to her sister. "Nice save."

"Thanks," Elsa whispered. In her left hand, she held the glove of her right hand, which was now bare.

"Is she all right?" Anna called out.

Several people nodded and smiled, as the girl's mother ushered her away from the edge.

"Thank you, Queen Elsa," Rolf said solemnly, as the people began chattering.

Elsa nodded, and motioned for the little girl to be brought to her. As she approached, Elsa dispersed the snow and the ice slide.

"Thank you, Queen Elsa!" the girl's mother said. "Thank you!"

"It was my pleasure," Elsa said, obviously still shaken. "She's a beautiful girl. What's her name?"

"My name's Eva," the girl piped up. She seemed so calm and happy, as if she had no idea what danger she had just been in.

"Hello, Eva," Elsa said, smiling. "It's so nice to meet you."

Elsa quickly wrapped up her speech, giving the villagers the abbreviated version of the rest of it. Only her years of practice at hiding her emotions enabled her to continue calmly. When she finished, the villagers applauded.

"Will you stay a while longer?" Varg asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot," Elsa said. "We're already behind schedule, and we need to be on our way. But I can tell you that you have found another customer for your fish!"

They all laughed.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon as they rode away.

"I want to reach the ice palace before sundown," Elsa said. "I think we can make it with about an hour to spare."

"Are you all right?" Anna asked.

"No."

Anna reached out and held her hand. "You were wonderful. You really were."

Elsa looked down, struggling with her words for a moment. "She wouldn't have been in danger if I hadn't been there in the first place."

"Oh," Anna said, a tiny bit exasperated. "Please don't be like that. You _know_ life isn't that simple."

Elsa gave a weak smile. "No. You're right, I'm looking at the negative instead of looking at the positive."

Anna let go of her hand and they rode on in a comfortable silence.

"Anna, do you...do you believe in providence?" Elsa asked.

"You mean fate?"

Elsa thought about this for a moment. "I suppose. I mean...do you think things happen for a reason?"

Anna gave this some thought. "I don't know," she finally said. "I'm sort of torn about that. On the one hand, I'd like to believe it, and it kind of feels true, in my heart. On the other hand, there are so many things in life which are bad, tragic, or just chaotic, so a part of me has a hard time believing in that kind of thing. I mean, if anyone ever tried to tell me it was fate that our parents died, I don't think I could be held responsible for what I would do to that person."

"Your thinking mirrors my own," Elsa said. "Grand Pabbie believes I was given my power for a reason. He thinks maybe I'll use it some day for a greater good. I...I want to believe that. And after what just happened, I...I don't know."

"Maybe it doesn't matter," Anna said.

"How could it not matter?"

"Well, why should it? No matter what you do with your life, and no matter what decisions you make, you'll do the same thing whether it's fate or not."

Elsa thought about this. "True," she said eventually. "But if I knew my power was truly given to me in order do some great good, that would lessen the agony of having large sections of my life ripped away. I could tolerate the pain more easily."

"I can see that," Anna said. "But if you ever use your power to do some great good, you'll feel that peace, anyway. The only difference is that if you believe it _before_ it happens instead of waiting for proof, you'll experience peace for a longer stretch of your life. So maybe the secret is to be at peace starting right now, because, with your power, you _can_ do wonderful things, fate be damned."

Elsa smiled. "You make sense, sometimes."

"Only on days ending in _y_. And by the way, even if you never do another act of good for the rest of your life, there's still a little girl named Eva somewhere in the world."

Elsa smiled at her, her eyes wet with tears. "Then perhaps my peace does start today."

"Maybe it does. But I don't think it's an event that just happens. I think it has to be a choice."

Elsa looked at Anna with respect and love, thinking about this, and nodded.


	6. Chapter 6 - Coronation

They stopped for about half an hour to break out warmer clothing, which only Elsa did not need, then they pressed on past the snow line. Elsa set a quick pace.

They found a nice spot surrounded by rock on two sides, which sheltered them from the wind, and the servants began to set up camp.

Half a mile above them was the ice palace. Elsa stood, gazing at it wistfully. Anna walked up to her and looked up, also, assessing the climb they would have to make.

There was not as much snow on the North Mountain as there had been the night Elsa created the palace. She guessed most of the snow that night had come from her. But there was still a fair amount of snow on the great peak even in summer.

It wouldn't be a difficult climb, but they would have to navigate a couple of tricky outcroppings of rock. They would also be trudging through snow, and watching out for hidden pockets of deep snow into which they could fall, which would slow Elsa down just as much as it would anyone else. And then they'd have to do it again on the way back.

None of this was of any real concern, except for one issue: the day was almost over.

"Do you want to wait until tomorrow?" Anna asked.

"No," Elsa said quietly. She seemed mesmerized by the sight of the palace. "No, I really, really want to get up there as soon as possible."

Anna almost asked why, but decided not to. She could tell that Elsa was feeling deeply emotional about returning to the palace. Instead, she said, "We have about an hour of light remaining, and the quarter moon won't rise until well after midnight. I really don't want to come down the mountain in the dark, or spend the night up there. You think we can get up there quickly enough, and spend enough time to make it meaningful, and still get back?"

Elsa smiled. "I know we can!" Over her shoulder, she spoke to the captain of the guard. "Please do not be alarmed by what I'm about to do."

Mystified, the guard captain nodded.

Elsa grinned at Anna. "Follow me!"

Anna felt a rush of excitement. She was still coming to terms with the fact that her sister, who was usually so regal and proper, actually had a fantastic mischievous streak. Anna had found that out the hard way the night of the coronation ball, when Elsa had said, "I don't dance...but my sister does!"

Anna could see the same gleam in Elsa's eyes now.

When they were about 200 meters above the camp site, Elsa stood facing the palace. Anna stood beside her, and Elsa took her hand. The gleam in Elsa's eyes was brighter than ever.

"Trust me?" Elsa asked.

"Always."

"Then hold on!"

They rose off the ground.

"Oh!" Anna cried in surprise, bracing herself against the unexpected movement.

They were suddenly standing on a platform of ice about five feet square, surrounded by an ice wall which was chest high. And the platform was rising into the sky.

"Oh, and you might not want to look down," Elsa said casually.

Of course, the moment she said this, Anna couldn't help but look over the wall and down, and her heart leapt into her throat when she saw how high they already were. Her legs began shaking.

She turned to Elsa, but the queen was grinning from ear to ear and bouncing on her feet. She squeezed Anna's hand.

After about half a minute, the movement stopped. The wind was quite strong at this height, so Elsa made the walls a few feet higher.

"What did you do?" Anna gasped.

"I just built an enormous hill of ice beneath us."

Elsa opened a hole in the wall in front of them, and together, they looked down. They were now several hundred meters higher than the ice palace. They had only moved vertically, so the palace was still about half a mile away.

As Anna watched, Elsa extended the front of her new ice hill so that it almost reached the palace staircase. Then she formed a chute, in the form of a half pipe, from the top of the hill to the bottom, ending at a point next to the staircase. The front wall dissolved away to reveal the top of the chute directly in front of them.

It was an ice slide hundreds of meters long, leading to the palace stairs. The ground was so far below them that Anna felt like she was standing at the top of the sky.

"Still trust me?" Elsa asked.

Anna trembled, and tried to find the strength. She licked her lips and swallowed hard. "I'm very frightened right now, but yes, I trust you absolutely." And suddenly Anna felt complete serenity. Even if Elsa was about to make a mistake, she didn't care. Trusting Elsa meant more to her than life itself. If Elsa led her wrong, so be it. She would die, trusting her sister to the end.

"Great!" Elsa said. "Here we go!"

And the bottom dropped out from beneath them as Elsa slanted the platform and sent them down the slide.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Anna screamed.

Elsa laughed with all her soul, and it was a laughter more full of life than Anna had ever heard from anyone.

Elsa quickly realized that she had vastly underestimated this entire operation, for after just the first few seconds, they were already rocketing at breakneck speed. But strangely, she didn't panic.

They were slipping from side to side enough that they were in danger of going over the edge of the half pipe and being flung out, so Elsa quickly formed a curved roof over the slide, making it a tube. This plunged the slide into darkness for a moment, so Elsa adjusted the thickness and purity of the overhead ice so that it was transparent, thus letting in the sunlight. She did it without even having to think about it.

With that danger averted, Elsa then reformed the slide in front of them to curve sharply left and right, again and again, hoping that would reduce their speed. As she did, she suddenly realized one of her most awesome powers: _she could sense the entire architecture of the hill and the slide even though she couldn't see any of it!_

Anna never stopped screaming the entire time. It was exhilarating and terrifying! Elsa saw, however, that Anna was beaming with joy. She laughed again.

The curves didn't slow them down in the slightest (but they certainly made the slide a lot more fun). They were still going way too fast. _Of course the curves don't slow us down!_ Elsa suddenly realized. _The vertical distance we travel is exactly the same!_

Elsa knew that unless she did something clever, the stop at the end was going to be abrupt. And somehow, her subconscious mind came up with the answer, and without seeing it, she knew it already existed.

Sure enough, at the end of the ride – which somehow felt like it took both a few seconds and a few hours – the chute morphed into a hollow ice sphere about 50 meters across. They slid easily into this sphere and continued sliding around its perimeter. Elsa closed the opening behind them immediately after coming through it.

The sisters simply rocketed around this sphere again and again, screaming and giggling, as their speed was slowly bled off. Elsa created some snow drifts for them to plow through, which slowed them some more, and they eventually spiraled down to the bottom of the sphere. They settled to a halt, whooping and laughing.

Elsa helped Anna to her feet.

"Did you enjoy that?" Elsa asked.

"Oh! My! _God!_ " Anna screeched. _"That was incredible!"_

Elsa laughed, and they hugged.

They pulled apart, still grinning and glowing with adrenaline. Anna jumped up and down and yelled, "Whooooooooooooo!"

Elsa dispersed the hill, the slide, and the sphere, to reveal the steps leading to the ice palace just a hundred meters away. She had gotten them to their destination in about five minutes.

They turned to look down the mountain. Except for the packed snow, there was no sign that the ice hill had even been there. Everyone back in camp looked so tiny from this distance, but the sisters could discern that they were all standing and looking up at them.

"Oh, I wish I could see the looks on their faces right now!" Anna said.

Elsa briefly floated a snowflake hundreds of feet across into the sky as a sign to the others that they had arrived at the palace and were all right.

"How...how did you do all that?" Anna asked.

"It's just ice and snow, like always."

"No, I mean...I know you must have learned some engineering principles from Father, but to create a structure like that...and I saw you changing it as we were coming down! You were making it up as you went, but it was perfect!"

Elsa smiled and nodded, then looked up at the ice palace. "It was the same when I built this. I don't know how I designed it. And no, I never learned true engineering, or architecture, or the mathematics necessary to do such things, or anything of the sort. Not from Father, nor from anyone else. All I know is that if I want something made of ice, I just call it forth. Something inside me just makes it happen, and the dimensions are perfect.

"The most interesting thing of all is that I can feel the structure I've built as if it were an appendage. I can sense its design even when I can't see it." She looked at Anna. "That's how I knew you had arrived here that first time. I was upstairs resting, and I actually felt you knock, and even though I couldn't see you, I somehow knew it was you, so I opened the door."

Anna remembered that moment. She had knocked on the door of the ice palace, and the door had opened as if it were alive.

"You felt me?" she breathed, awed.

"It's kind of like feeling something brush against your skin, except it doesn't feel like that at all. I don't have the vocabulary to describe how it feels."

"Wow!" Anna whispered.

They turned and gazed upon the palace.

Elsa looked at the damaged bridge and sighed. "I guess this must have happened during the fight. My poor snow guardian." She repaired the bridge.

"You know, it occurs to me that this bridge is just resting on snow, which can shift, or just melt away," Anna said.

"No, the bridge and the palace are both anchored on rock. That was one of those things which just formed in my head when I made them."

"Wow!" Anna said again.

They ascended the steps. Anna looked into the chasm below, but could not see the bottom. She shuddered.

The door opened before they reached it, and they stepped inside. They gazed in wonder at the vast chamber, then Elsa closed her eyes.

"I can sense the entire palace just by standing here," she murmured. "I can sense every single flaw, even the tiniest chip in the walls created by the soldiers." She sent blue energy cascading upwards and outwards, flowing over everything, and opened her eyes. "But now, it is like new!"

"There will never be a day when I don't find that amazing!" Anna breathed. "That's simply incredible! Structures by thought!" Then she looked over Elsa's shoulder with alarm and gasped in fear.

Elsa spun around, ready for danger, but burst into a smile and ran forward. "My snow guardian!"

He ran to meet Elsa and bowed. Anna instantly felt calm. She knew Elsa would not let it harm her.

"You're still alive!" Elsa gushed.

Anna walked over to stand next to her. "And, apparently, he's the Queen of Arendelle."

"What?"

Anna nodded her head at the guardian, and Elsa looked closely.

"My tiara!"

"Something happen that night you want to tell me about?" Anna asked.

Elsa was silent for many moments. Finally, she quietly said, "When I built this palace, as an act of defiance against the chains which had held me my entire life, I threw away the tiara."

"It seems that Marshmallow picked it up."

" _Marshmallow?_ "

Anna laughed. "It's what we call your snow guardian. Olaf actually came up with it."

"Ha! One of my snow creatures named another of my snow creatures. If they're all extensions of my personality, that's incredibly surreal."

"And if Marshmallow is an extension of you, the fact that he saved the tiara, and put it on, means that some part of you knew you were still the queen."

Elsa was quiet, her face full of emotion. "Or maybe he just picked it up because he – _I_ – like shiny objects." She gave a weak smile.

Anna smiled warmly back at her. "Or maybe it was that," she whispered.

Elsa was actually shaking. "I didn't realize until this moment how upset I was that the tiara was lost, and now I am so very relieved that it isn't." She looked at Marshmallow. "Please return the tiara to its rightful owner."

Marshmallow took the tiara off and bent down to give it to her. Elsa was about to take it when Anna said, "Wait."

Elsa looked at her. "What?"

Anna turned to face her, suddenly solemn. "I don't know if this is going to make any sense to you, but we need to do this properly. Your first coronation ended badly, and we both have terrible memories of that night, for multiple reasons. You even threw the tiara away. So...I...I want to have another coronation."

Elsa looked at her in amazement. "You mean you want to invite everyone back and have another ball?"

"No!" Anna said, realizing that what she was envisioning and what Elsa thought she was envisioning were vastly different things. _Communication is sometimes tricky_ , Anna thought. "No, what I mean is, I want to have another coronation now. Here. With just you and me." She touched her arm. "And this time, we'll do it right."

"We don't have the scepter and the orb."

"No, but we have each other."

Tears welled in Elsa's eyes. "There is no one I would rather have do this for me than you," she whispered.

"Give me the tiara," Anna said to Marshmallow. He looked at Elsa, who nodded, and he handed it over.

The sisters faced each other. There was no precedent for this kind of thing, so on the spot, Anna came up with something which sounded proper. In accordance with the traditions of the coronation ceremony, she spoke in Old West Norse.

"Accept this crown, this honor, this responsibility, my love, and the love and trust of your people, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."

Elsa bowed her head, and Anna carefully placed the tiara back where it belonged.

Elsa lifted her head, and Anna curtsied low. "I greet and honor Your Majesty."

"Rise," Elsa said. "And I thank you with all of my heart."

They held each other for a long time. Marshmallow just stood there and grinned.

* * *

Anna and Elsa slowly walked through the entire palace, just being with each other, and admiring its beauty. Anna noticed that Elsa's bearing was more relaxed, and yet at the same time more regal, now that she once again wore the tiara.

On the second floor, Elsa created a balcony on the western side, and they watched the sun bathe the mountains in red and gold. They stood together, their soft faces lit by the golden light, gazing upon the incredible vista before them. Each felt and understood how beautiful and precious this moment was, more than any moment they had ever shared. Their souls were as one.

"I love you," Anna said softly. She hadn't planned to say it, it had just come out.

Elsa held her hand. "And I love you."

They leaned their heads on each other and stood shoulder to shoulder, all four hands clasped together, watching the most perfect sunset either had ever seen.

When the sun seemed to touch the first mountain peak, without saying a word, they fell into each other's arms and held each other for a long time. It was a hug so deep, and so close, that time and thought vanished.

* * *

The sun had almost disappeared when they finally made their way downstairs. They had half an hour to make it back to the camp site, for twilight would last that long, helped by light reflecting off the snow.

On the ground floor, they found Marshmallow patiently waiting.

"What do we do with him?" Anna asked.

"I don't think taking him with us is a good idea," Elsa said. "And I get the feeling he's perfectly comfortable right here." She scratched Marshmallow under the chin, then conspiratorially whispered to Anna, "I basically created him as a grunt. He doesn't have a lot going on upstairs."

Anna giggled.

"Besides, leaving someone to guard the palace isn't a bad idea," Elsa said.

"Guard it from whom?" Anna asked.

"I don't know. But palaces need guards, right?"

"I suppose."

Elsa turned to Marshmallow and said, "Guard the palace."

Marshmallow nodded.

They walked out the doors and back down the steps.

"I loved your ice slide," Anna said, smiling. "But may we please walk back?"

Elsa smiled also. "We may."


	7. Chapter 7 - Water in Another Form

"It's just over the next ridge," Kristoff said, then paused and looked around carefully. "I'm...pretty sure it's just over the next ridge."

Sven bellowed angrily and quickly dipped his head in the direction of a hill to Kristoff's left.

"No, buddy, that's not the right way at all!" Kristoff said. "I'd definitely remember if it was over there."

Sven gave him an _are-you-kidding-me?_ look.

Elsa wasn't angry, but the folded arms and stern look told Kristoff that she was getting there fast. It had been two days since they had left the ice palace, and they were once again below the snow line. A few minutes ago, they had all dismounted to let the horses rest a bit while Kristoff figured out where they were. It was not going well.

Anna said, "Kristoff, if you don't know, it's okay to go back to the village and ask directions."

"Oh!" he laughed, trying to appear nonchalant. "There's no need for that."

"You mean you don't want the locals to know that Kristoff the ice man can't find his way around," Elsa said.

"Look, we're almost there," he said. "Really."

"Your Majesty," the guard captain said, walking up to them. "I think this gentleman can help."

They turned to find a portly man about forty, with thinning hair and a jovial face, walking with the captain. He was leading a donkey pulling a cart loaded with fruits and vegetables.

"He's on his way to market," the captain said. "Since he lives nearby, I thought maybe he could help us."

"Good morning, Your Majesty," the man said, bowing.

"Good morning, kind sir," Elsa said. "What is your name?"

"Georg, Your Majesty."

"You were in Vestfold yesterday, were you not?" Elsa asked.

Georg smiled. "That I was, listening to your speech, and right kind of you to notice and remember. I'm sure I was just another face in the crowd."

"I try to get a good look at the people who are kind enough to pause their day to listen to me." She looked over his cart approvingly. "I hope the recent freeze didn't hurt your garden and your orchard too badly."

"Ah, it hurt a bit, but not enough to make a fuss over. We had just picked all the peaches the day before the ice came, so they were fine. We already had plenty of everything stored up, and we eat well enough as it is!" He patted his belly and they all laughed.

Elsa smiled kindly at him, and wondered if he had been affected more than he let on, but was too proud and polite to say so. She really had no way of knowing, and it would be an insult to ask. She didn't know what to do, and she hated the feeling of powerlessness.

But, ever the master of concealing her emotions, Elsa didn't let any of that show. "Well, we are trying to find our way to the Lake of Fire. Do you know of it?"

Georg's smile slowly disappeared. "Ya, I know where to find that accursed lake. But I only know of it so's I know where not to go."

"Why do you call it accursed?" Elsa asked.

"It never freezes, even when all other water does."

"Is the lake unusual in any other way besides that?" Anna asked.

"That, I don't know, Your Highness."

"Are people harmed if they go there?" Elsa asked.

"Not that I ever heard of, but I have no mind to find out. There's sorcery in that lake, and I want no part of it. _All_ sorcery is unnatural, if you ask me." A split second later, he remembered to whom he was speaking. "Excepting yourself, of course, My Lady!" he said hurriedly, deeply embarrassed.

Elsa smiled and said good-naturedly, "That's quite all right, I know what you mean. And you are wise to steer clear of sorcery. I would also, if given a choice, which I was not. Some sorcery might be good, or at the very least, harmless, but you can never tell. It's best just to steer clear of it, live your life, and take care of your family, like a man is meant to do. Do you have children, Georg?"

Georg's face lit up like the sun. "Three! And a grandchild on the way!"

Out of everyone present, only Anna could see what Elsa had just done, and how deliberately she had done it. Georg had deeply embarrassed himself with his faux pas, and Elsa was trying to be kind and smooth it over. One way to do that was to switch the topic to something which was important to the other person, and which made the other person happy, and for most people, that subject was family. Elsa had guided the conversation onto the topic of Georg's family with a subtlety that was almost invisible. And if that weren't enough, she had spoken the words _like a man is meant to do_ in an appeal to his pride and self-respect.

 _She really knows how to handle people, and how to deflect their attention_ , Anna thought. _I wonder if that's a skill she had to learn as a child in order to hide her power. I wonder if she's even conscious that she does it._

Elsa's face broke into a look of pure joy. "That's wonderful! When's it due?"

"We think next month."

"Well, congratulations! May your new grandchild be as healthy as they come."

He nodded humbly. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"And, accursed or not, I must find that lake. Will you please tell us where it is?"

Georg looked somber again. "I recommend staying away from it."

"Normally, I would," Elsa said kindly. "However, as queen, I need to know about the land I rule. I also have questions which this lake might be able to answer, urgent questions I am not at liberty to discuss. It's very important."

Again, Anna saw what no one else did. Elsa covered it up well, but Anna could tell that she was a little irked at a peasant trying to dissuade her from going where she would. The words _the land I rule_ , and _questions I am not at liberty to discuss_ , were a way of putting Georg in his place, and reminding him that she did not need to explain to him why she sought the lake, and certainly did not need his permission. But Elsa had done it in such a way as to render no offense. Once more, her subtlety was as smooth as the ice she had the power to create.

 _She truly is a magnificent queen!_ Anna thought.

Georg nodded, then pointed at the hill Sven had motioned towards earlier. "Go straight over that hill, then over the one beyond it."

Sven immediately gave a haughty look at Kristoff, who pretended not to notice.

"Does anyone live near the lake?" Anna asked.

Georg shook his head. "None that I know of."

"Thank you, Georg," Elsa said. "We are behind schedule, so we must be on our way. Don't worry, we hear your warning about the lake, and we will be careful. I promise."

"As you wish, My Lady," Georg said, bowing low.

Anna held out a coin. "And before we part, I would like a few peaches."

Georg looked at the coin. "Peaches I have, but I cannot take the money of my princess, especially one as lovely as you."

Anna smiled. "I'm making a purchase, not levying a tax. I insist. Peaches, please!"

Georg picked up three peaches and juggled them for a few moments, delighting them all. He caught them and handed them over. Grinning widely, Anna flipped him the coin, which he caught deftly.

"Good journey to you, My Lady," he bowed.

"And to you, Georg!" Anna said.

They mounted their horses and set off, Anna already munching on her fruit. "Mmm! These are really good." She held one out to Elsa. "Peach?"

"No, thank you," Elsa said with a smile. "You enjoy."

* * *

Beyond the second hill, just as Georg said, the Lake of Fire lay sparkling in the summer sun. It occupied about four acres, its surface calm.

Elsa felt a tiny jolt of energy the moment she lay eyes on the lake. She immediately called a halt and stared at it.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked.

Elsa didn't answer. Her gaze was fixated on the water. Anna found it difficult to read her expression.

"It feels strange," Olaf said quietly.

Elsa and Anna looked at him.

"Yes," Elsa murmured, and looked back at the lake. "Olaf would feel it, too."

"Feel what?" Anna asked.

"Anna and I are going ahead," Elsa suddenly commanded. "Kristoff, Captain, take everyone else back a few hundred meters and wait for us."

"Your Majesty, I have grave concerns about this," the captain said.

"So do I," Kristoff said, but his eyes were for Anna.

"We will be all right," Elsa said.

"Your Majesty, how can you be sure?" the captain asked.

"I can't explain it, I just know that it is so," Elsa said, and spurred her horse onward. Anna gave a reassuring look to Kristoff and followed.

The forest was thick at the water's edge almost all the way around the lake. Elsa and Anna carefully wove their way through the trees, following the shore to the left, until they found a bare spot they could reach. It was a short stretch of shoreline which consisted of small rocks and pebbles. They dismounted and stood just out of reach of the tiny waves which rippled ashore.

"Elsa, what did you feel?"

"I can't describe it. All I can say is that it felt familiar, somehow. I can feel this lake. I can sense its shape and depth, in exactly the same way I can sense one of my ice creations."

Elsa slowly bent down, her hand stretched out towards the water.

"Elsa!" Anna whispered.

"It's all right," Elsa whispered back. She reached further, and her fingertips touched the water.

At a point about ten meters in front of them, the surface immediately began churning. They stepped back in alarm.

"Don't be frightened!" Elsa said.

Anna swallowed hard, and tried to have the same trust in Elsa she had had at the top of the ice slide. But this was different, somehow. "Do you really know what you're doing?"

"I think I do," Elsa said, her eyes alive with excitement.

The churning water thrust upward, pushing more and more water into a column which began to take shape. After a few seconds, the shape seemed to be distinctly humanoid.

Elsa and Anna watched, spellbound.

The water became calm again, and standing on the surface of the lake was a figure in the shape of a woman, made entirely of water. The lower part of her legs had no definition, but instead blended into the surface of the lake. Her face had the general features of a woman, but being made of water, it was difficult to see any definition.

"Who disturbs me?" the figure asked. Her voice had an otherworldly quality.

Anna just stared, her mouth hanging open.

"I am Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."

"Why do you disturb me?" the figure asked.

"First, tell me who and what you are," Elsa countered.

"My name is Maren, and I am a nix."

"A water spirit," Anna breathed. "Oh, this is bad news."

"Who are you?" Maren asked Anna. "And why do you pass such poor judgment upon me?"

Anna licked her lips. "I am Anna, Princess of Arendelle, sister of the queen. And I merely warn my queen that nixie lure people into their embrace in order to drown them."

"Many of my kind do that, but I do not," Maren said. "You would do well to withhold judgment of someone you have only just met."

Anna swallowed hard, and said, "My apologies. I meant no disrespect. I desire only to protect my sister, and since many nixie are dangerous, it was a fair warning."

Maren looked at Elsa. "Why do you disturb me?"

"I came looking for answers," Elsa said. She took off her right glove and created a large snowflake, which hung in the air above them. "I possess the Power of Winter. I seek knowledge and assistance."

Maren looked at the snowflake curiously, then at Elsa. The snowflake vanished.

"Yes, I sense the power within you," Maren said. "It was that power which called me forth."

"Does that mean that we are...similar, somehow?" Elsa asked.

"What is snow and ice but water in another form?" Maren asked. "You are no elemental, yet you wield the power of one. It is a power almost identical to mine."

Anna spoke up. "You mean you control water only when it's liquid, just like Elsa controls water only when it's frozen. That's why you never let the lake freeze; you would lose control of it."

"I don't control natural ice and snow," Elsa reminded her. "Only that which I create."

"And I do not create water, but control only that which is my home," Maren said. "I have absolute dominion over my home whether it is frozen or not. I prevent it from freezing simply because I prefer the circulation to continue."

"Is the similarity of our power the reason I could feel you as I approached?" Elsa asked.

Maren nodded.

"Maren, please tell me, where did my power come from?" Elsa asked.

"I do not understand the question."

"Magic in a human is rare," Elsa said. "Yet I was born with magic. Why?"

Maren shook her head, as if struggling to understand. "Asking me why you have magic is like asking me why the sun rises."

Elsa sighed, realizing it was futile to pursue the question. _She sees magic differently, just like Grand Pabbie does_ , Elsa thought.

"I have trouble controlling my magic," Elsa said. "I could easily kill someone by accident. Can you help me control it?"

"I can, but why should I?"

"You wish something in return?" Elsa asked.

"You have nothing to offer me."

Anna said, "Perhaps you could help her, anyway. She is your queen."

 _"Is she?!"_ Maren asked. "And when did this happen?"

"I am queen of this land," Elsa said.

Maren laughed. "I do not reside on land."

"I am queen of this land, and all that is in it. And your home is well within my borders."

"I have no queen, and I bow to no one," Maren said. "I was here long before humans ever arrived, and I will be here long after you are gone. You may have drawn a line on a map and made a claim, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, but this lake is my dominion, and mine alone. If you disagree, by all means, lead your armies into battle to claim me. That would be most amusing."

Elsa considered this for a moment. _What would Father do?_ she thought.

Father wouldn't have pitched a fit over something so trivial, nor would he have gone up against a magical being for a reason as stupid as pride.

"I concede that this lake is yours and not mine," Elsa said. "You cause no trouble. Be at peace, I am not your enemy."

Maren nodded. "A wise decision."

"But I think I can give you something," Elsa said. "You may not recognize my rule, but the people who live in this area do, and they will obey my commands. I sense that you dislike being disturbed by people. Am I correct?"

"I find humans wearisome, and would rather avoid their company," Maren said.

"Then why did you come up to talk to us?" Anna asked.

"I awoke to speak with the one who possesses the power of an elemental," Maren said. "Not you."

"I can order all of my subjects to stay away from your home," Elsa said.

"They do so already."

"For now, but populations grow," Elsa said. "Communities expand. People migrate. You must know enough about us to know that we are restless, and love to explore and settle new areas."

Maren scowled. "It is true."

"So eventually, it will be a problem. But I can order them to stay away from this lake, and I can make it a standing order which future rulers, our descendants, will also enforce."

Maren looked at her appraisingly for a moment, then said, "Very well. In exchange for this, I will help you."

Maren drifted forward. As she did, water flowed up her body, down her arms, and into her hands, forming something. By the time she reached the water's edge, she held what looked like two solid objects, almost transparent.

"Take them," Maren said.

Elsa reached out, and Maren placed them into her hands. Elsa stepped back, and Maren slowly drifted back, also.

The two objects were almost identical. Anna took one of them, and the sisters examined them curiously.

Each was a tube six inches long and about an inch-and-a-half in diameter, open at both ends, tapering a little at one end. Yet it was not a complete tube, as an opening about half an inch wide ran its length. The material seemed to be liquid water, somehow held in place to form a solid, and it had a bit of bend in it, like leather. It was soft to the touch. The design was intricate, with patterns both embossed and engraved onto the surface.

"They are bracers," Maren said. "While you wear them, they will block your power completely."

"Bracers which do not tie?" Elsa asked.

"They will fit snugly, and will never fall off accidentally."

"And I can put them on and take them off at will?" Elsa asked.

Maren laughed gently. "You are wise to ask! Yes, you may do with them as you will. They are not cursed."

Elsa took off her other glove and put the bracers on. Instead of putting her hand into the bracer and pulling it up her arm, the bracer snapped onto her arm directly by using the lengthwise opening. The bracer was flexible enough for her to push it on and pull it off, yet snug enough to remain fixed in place.

As soon as both bracers were on her arms, Elsa's face scrunched up in pain.

"What did you do?!" Anna asked Maren sharply, gripping Elsa's arm.

"It's all right," Elsa said. "I just wasn't expecting that."

"I imagine it is not pleasant to have one's power curtailed," Maren said.

Elsa breathed deeply.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked.

"It's like being smothered by a blanket," Elsa said. "It doesn't so much block my power as stifle it, like having a cold and not being able to breathe." She raised her hands and spread her fingers. Nothing happened.

She smiled. "But it is as Maren said. My power is under control." She looked at the nix. "But I want to verify something absolutely: these bracers will block my power even in my sleep? Even in moments when I lose control of my body?"

"They will," Maren said. "Your power cannot manifest, in any way, while you wear them. But there are drawbacks."

"I would be disappointed if there were not," Elsa said. "What are they?"

"First, you must wear both bracers or neither," Maren said. "If you try to use your power while wearing only one of them, I cannot predict what will happen. Your power might only be partially blocked, sending your magic in an unexpected direction. The results would almost certainly not be to your liking."

"I understand," Elsa said.

"Second, if someone attacks you, and you rely on your power to save you, you now have to waste precious seconds to remove the bracers before responding. This might be your downfall one day."

Elsa thought about this, and her face became tight. "I accept that."

"Third, do not wear them constantly. Your magic is a wellspring. You cannot put a lid on it every moment, or the pressure will build and it will explode like a volcano. I do not know what that explosion would look like, but it would probably destroy you. You must remove the bracers regularly in order to let your power run free."

"I understand," Elsa nodded. "Is it safe to wear them throughout the night?"

"Probably, but I will not guarantee it, as I have never met anyone like you. I can assure you that if the pressure builds, you will definitely feel it, and you should have plenty of time to avert disaster."

Elsa closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, trying to reign in her emotions. "Thank you, Maren," she said calmly. "I shall issue my edict, as promised, as soon as I return to my castle, which should be tomorrow afternoon."

"I hope so," Maren said. "For there is one final drawback to the bracers. They are still a part of my domain. Think of them as a permanent loan rather than a gift, a loan I can reclaim at any time. They are the means by which I can ensure that you keep your half of the bargain. If any human disturbs my shores, I will instruct the bracers to cease working...or perhaps something worse."

Anna glared at Maren.

Elsa remained completely calm and unsurprised. "So I am wearing booby traps on my arms?"

"As long as you fulfill your promise, they should be safe. I bear you no ill will. If I remain undisturbed, it is almost a certainty that when I next awaken, you will have been dust for thousands of years."

"Queen Elsa can order people not to come here," Anna said. "But to punish her for the tiniest infringement is not fair. A wayward child may come here, or a roaming bandit from beyond our borders. We will do our best to keep this lake undisturbed, and send soldiers to enforce our law if it becomes necessary. But to expect perfect solitude for years is simply absurd. Life isn't that simple!"

"I see your point, and I agree," Maren said. "Do not worry. I will not retaliate against your sister for minor grievances, although I do expect them to be taken care of." She turned to Elsa. "If you feel the bracers become agitated or warm, that is my signal to you that my slumber has been interrupted, at which point I expect a prompt response."

"You shall have it," Elsa said.

"Very well. If our business is concluded, please leave me."

"I still rule the land which surrounds your home," Elsa said. "If I ever have questions about my magic which I think you can answer, I claim the right to come speak with you again."

"Very well," Maren said. "But you, and you alone."

Maren descended into the lake. Within seconds, there was no sign that she had ever been there.

Elsa stood, breathing deeply, her eyes closed.

Anna touched her arm. "You did it! You're free!"

Elsa opened her eyes. Her face looked haggard. "No, you did it, Anna. You were the one who thought to inquire about any unusual phenomena. I would never have thought of that."

"Well, whichever of us did it, I'm happy for you, and I hope this means that all your dreams can now come true!"

Elsa gave a weak smile, but she didn't seem to feel like celebrating.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked.

"These bracers are a great solution, but not a perfect solution. Now that I finally have them, I have reservations. If I had been wearing them three days ago, Eva would be dead. I wouldn't have been able to take them off in time."

Anna squeezed her arm. "We'll just have to make sure you use them with great care."

Elsa smiled. "I love the fact that you say 'we.'"

"I told you. I'm with you on this. All the way."

Elsa gently held Anna's head, leaned up, and kissed her on the forehead. "And I'm alive because of it."

Anna smiled at her.

"Come on," Elsa said. "Let's allow the nix to sleep."

They mounted their horses and rode back to the others.

* * *

A few hours after leaving the Lake of Fire, they reached the final village on the tour. It was a successful visit full of celebration, like every other stop had been. All the people wanted to visit with Elsa, and she made time for every one of them, her smile never wavering, showing no fatigue.

It was late afternoon when they set out once more, this time for home. As had become the norm, Anna and Elsa rode ahead by themselves. The rest of the company had come to understand that the sisters simply preferred to talk in private. A lot.

"Oh, I am _so_ glad that's over with!" Elsa said. "I am so tired of giving the same speech over and over."

"I heard your speech in my dreams last night," Anna said.

"I imagine you're tired of it, too. You stood beside me and smiled every single moment of every single one. Thank you for that."

"You were the one speaking. I did the easy part. And speaking of dreams, how are yours? I haven't asked lately."

Elsa smiled. "I still have nightmares, but they're different. The nightmares I have known all my life have vanished, and that's mostly because of you, and the way our people have showered me with love throughout this journey." Elsa began to get choked up a bit. "I had expected them to be upset with me, but everywhere we went, they were happy to see me, and were very understanding. To say that it's been life-changing would be an understatement. My life is so full of miracles. I'm so very blessed."

Anna smiled at her. "And I couldn't be happier for you. And as someone who has observed you throughout this trip, may I say you were very wise to take it. If you hadn't, there may have been some resentment towards you, and it would have built up over the years. But the fact that you went to your people, to hear their grievances, to hear their concerns, to show them who you are – it healed a lot, and solidified their love, deservedly so. You never once turned away anyone who wanted to speak with you, and you never once lost your patience. Your people will remember that, forever."

"Thank you," Elsa nodded. "That means a lot. And it's _our_ people, by the way. Never forget that."

Anna grinned. "I won't! But you said you have a new set of nightmares?"

Elsa laughed. "Now they are regular nightmares. Nightmares about failing our people, or about falling flat on my face as queen. I have had one particular nightmare three nights in a row. In it, something terrible is happening to Arendelle, but it's not clear what. Perhaps an enemy attacking, perhaps a natural disaster. Within the context of the dream, it doesn't matter what the problem is. But people are running around the castle in a full-blown panic, shouting frantically, and I sit on the throne, unable to move or think, paralyzed, and I don't know what to do. And people are shouting at me to get up, to do something, but I can't." She shrugged. "I don't think the dream really means anything beyond the obvious. I'm scared of being a failure. I'm scared of letting our people down. It's something I already knew perfectly well. I didn't need a dream to tell me that. I've only been queen for a fortnight, and already it's been the most exciting fortnight in living memory. I've still got such a long way to go."

"And I know you'll get there," Anna said decisively. "But you don't seem worried about having these nightmares."

"Well, they're normal nightmares. I mean, when I had nightmares about not being loved, about being treated as a monster...those were _real_ nightmares. The worst. They were unusual. They were personal. But my current set of nightmares sound perfectly ordinary. I suspect lots of people who shoulder great responsibilities have exactly the same fears, and I also suspect that these nightmares will pass with time. So no, I'm not really worried about them. After the _really_ nasty dreams I've suffered all my life, this new set is nothing I can't handle."

"I refuse to believe they're all bad. Please tell me you've also had pleasant dreams!"

Elsa instantly became choked up. "I have," she said. "I dreamed that Mama and Papa came to me, and there was a brilliant light shining down all around them, and they were smiling at me, and Papa said, 'You've done a good job. I'm so very proud of you.'"

With these words, Anna was also suddenly weeping.

"And Anna, this dream...it didn't actually feel like a dream. It felt real, somehow." Elsa reached out and held Anna's hand. "It felt real."

They rode on in silence and tears for many minutes, holding hands. Neither needed words.

* * *

The mood around the camp site that evening was relaxed and jovial. Royalty, soldiers, servants and couriers alike all knew that Elsa had accomplished something wonderful with the trip, and everyone felt lighthearted now that the work was behind them and the castle only fifteen miles away.

They could have reached the castle just after sundown that day if Elsa had pushed them to hurry, but she had seen no need. And if they had arrived just after sundown, everyone would have been stabling animals and unpacking luggage long into the night, which would have been tremendously inconvenient, whereas now they would arrive about noon the next day and would have plenty of time during daylight hours to do the same thing.

Kristoff, Anna and Elsa sat alone by one of the fires as they ate dinner. Night settled over the land, bringing with it a cool breeze which rustled the trees and brought to them all the smells of summer. Sven was nearby. Olaf lay on the ground a few feet behind them (safely away from the fire), gazing at the Northern Lights, which were especially bright that night.

"When we get back to the castle, we should replace Olaf's nose," Kristoff said. "It's starting to smell bad."

"It smells just fine," Olaf said.

"It may smell well, but it doesn't smell fine," Kristoff said over his shoulder.

Sven grunted.

"Okay, but I want to pick out my new nose," Olaf said.

"That will not be a problem," Elsa said.

"In fact, I could even branch out from carrots," Olaf said. "Perhaps celery, or broccoli."

"Are you trying to set new fashion trends?" Anna asked.

"That's me!" Olaf said. "The avant-garde snowman, the envy of all the great designers of Paris."

"I once saw a book of drawings of Parisian fashion," Kristoff said, shaking his head. "That was some strange stuff. It was like all these clothing designers were trying to out-weird each other. Noses made of broccoli wouldn't actually be that far off."

They were silent for a few moments, until Anna said, "Well, go on. Ask us. You're obviously dying to."

After another moment of confused silence, Elsa said to Kristoff, "I think she's talking to you."

"Uh...ask you what?" Kristoff asked.

"You know what. You want to know what happened at the lake this morning."

"Well," Kristoff said, shaking his head nonchalantly. "I figured it was none of my business. But yeah, since you mentioned it...I am kind of doing somersaults on the inside because I really, really want to know! Because whatever it was, it was something monumental. Those bracers are almost invisible, but I have noticed them, and they're obviously magical. And I know you got them at the lake."

Anna looked at Elsa, clearly allowing her to decide what to say.

"What I'm about to tell you is highly confidential," Elsa said. She then threw over her shoulder, "You too, Olaf. Keep this to yourself."

"M'kay!" Olaf said happily.

"I'm just an ice man," Kristoff said. "Why tell me at all?"

"Because despite the fact that you two keep pussyfooting around, I know you're going to be a part of our family soon!" Elsa snapped, slightly exasperated. Anna and Kristoff both turned bright red and looked down, holding back embarrassed smiles. "I swear, if you don't ask her to marry you soon, I'm going to lock you both in a room until you do!"

Kristoff bit back a sheepish grin. "Well...you don't need to worry. When I ask, it'll be at the right moment, and in the right way."

Anna looked at him, and Elsa was astonished that she actually fluttered her eyes. _Fluttering eyes!_ Elsa thought. _I didn't think people actually did that!_

Anna turned to Elsa and said with a smile, "You said you don't like to meddle."

"I try not to, but a sister can lose patience." To Kristoff, she said, "Well, if you're waiting for the right moment, that's fine. But that's why you should know." Her voice softened. "You're going to be a prince soon, with many responsibilities, and the second-closest person to me, and hopefully the father of my future nieces or nephews. And I want my brother-in-law to know what keeps his queen safe, and the hidden dangers of what I now possess."

Elsa quietly and carefully told him everything that happened at the lake. She also told him that she had trouble controlling her power in her sleep (although she did not go into detail), and that that was the reason this was so important to her. Kristoff listened without interruption. At one point during the account, Olaf exclaimed, "Oh look! A shooting star!" which told them that he wasn't really listening.

"Well, I hope your bargain works out," Kristoff said when Elsa finished her tale. "I don't trust nixie, myself, but I suppose the fact that this one doesn't seem to be luring people to their deaths is a good sign. Whatever happens, you know you have my full support, now and always."

"I know, and thank you, Kristoff," Elsa said.

"Now that you've had the bracers on for almost a full day, how do you feel?" Anna asked. "Are they still uncomfortable?"

"I've sort of gotten used to them," Elsa said. "It's actually not that bad. And they're a great fit." She shook her head. "I wish I'd had them fifteen years ago."

"I'm not sure that would have been such a good thing," Kristoff said. "Now, don't get me wrong, I know your power made your life miserable. But I can't help but feel that if you'd had the bracers as a child, you would have grown to depend on them too much. When you saved Eva, you demonstrated perfect and instantaneous control over your power. I think that control is something you wouldn't have learned if you had suppressed it during the time of your life when learning is crucial."

Elsa gave him a soft smile. "You could be right. I'll even choose to believe it."

"And now that you have a way to block your power, you can sleep in the royal tent tonight!" Anna said.

"No," Elsa said. "I want to test them for at least one night, first."

Anna thrust out her lower lip in a pout.

"Another shooting star!" Olaf said.

Sven grunted.

"Well, Your Majesty," Anna said. "Now that you have completed your tour of the kingdom, what's the next big problem we need to address?"

Elsa looked up at the colors streaming across the stars. "Let's discuss that tomorrow," she said softly. "Right now, I think Olaf has the right idea."

They grabbed some blankets and lay on the ground next to Olaf. Anna held Kristoff's hand on one side and her sister's hand on the other. They lay on their backs and gazed upwards, filling their minds with the breeze, the trees, and the summer night sky.

"Another shooting star!" Elsa and Olaf said at the same time.

Anna smiled.


	8. Chapter 8 - In Each Other's Arms

They arrived at the castle around noon the next day, and everyone was happy to see them return. Elsa and Anna both bathed (without heat this time), braided each other's hair for the first time in over a week, then spent the afternoon in Elsa's study, taking care of all the business that had piled up in their absence.

Elsa's first official action was to declare the Lake of Fire off limits to everyone because it was dangerous. She didn't say why it was dangerous, but since the people who lived near it knew it was magical, she didn't feel she needed to.

Once all the urgent matters had been attended to, Anna said, "So let's return to my question from yesterday. What's the next big problem we need to address?"

"I need to pay official state visits to all of our neighbors," Elsa said. "By now, they will all have heard that Arendelle is ruled by a sorceress, and I am sure there are many horrible rumors flying around. Some of our neighbors will no doubt be afraid, while others may see our recent troubles as a chance for conquest. The dignitaries who attended my coronation will alleviate matters somewhat by reporting the truth, but even so, that will not be enough.

"I must now walk a tightrope. I must show the world that Arendelle is strong despite what just happened, and at the same time, I must show the world that I am good and kind, and have no intention of using my magic to harm anyone." She sighed. "And I must educate people, or as sure as kittens are cute, they'll all blame _me_ when the harsh winter hits!" She scowled at the thought. "It would be nice to live in a world populated by rational people who don't jump to conclusions, but sadly, we live in this one.

"Our people had a chance to reject me, but they didn't, mostly because I went to see them in person, and I went to see them quickly. I think the answer to my international concerns is the same. If I visit my fellow rulers in person, it will accomplish far more than a letter, and it will ease their troubled minds. I must do it quickly. This is a crucial time during which opinions will take root. My actions in the next few months may prevent years of mistrust."

Elsa softly hit her fist on the desk. "Curse me!" she exclaimed. "I just realized! If I had sent letters of intent to visit a week ago, they could have been in transit while we toured the kingdom! Ah, I'm such a fool!"

"It's just one mistake, and you're not perfect."

"A mistake which cost a week of precious time, which becomes even more lost time later, in a cascading effect. I must be better! I must notify our neighbors of my intent to visit at once!"

Anna wanted to tell her not to be so hard on herself, but she sensed now wasn't the time. She let it pass for the moment. "Will you visit Weselton or the Southern Isles?"

"I will not visit Weselton under the current state of affairs. As for the Southern Isles...perhaps."

"Shall I accompany you on this journey?"

"No. I'll be gone for several weeks, and I need you to stay here to take care of the kingdom."

It was the answer Anna had expected, and the only real practical one. "I agree," she said, rising from her seat. "I'll assemble the scribes. They'll be waiting in the hall when you're ready."

"Find Admiral Salomon and send him to me, also."

Anna was alarmed. "Are we going to war?"

"These messages are too important to send via commercial ships. Speed is vital, so the navy will have to arrange their delivery."

Anna curtsied and left.

* * *

Anna directed a servant to send word to Admiral Salomon, and instructed two of the royal councilors to wait outside Elsa's study. She then went to the house of a nearby scholar and asked him to come quickly, which he did. Anna figured they would need at least a dozen copies of Elsa's letter, and due to the urgency, they needed them as soon as possible, and she felt three scribes ought to be enough.

As Anna walked with the scholar to Elsa's study she met Kristoff, and smiled. He had bathed and dressed in finer clothes, and he looked very nice.

"I was hoping I could talk to you for a little while," he said.

"Give me a few moments," she said. "I'll come to you if the queen can spare me."

He nodded.

Anna told a servant to bring a chair and follow her, because the scholar was elderly and Anna didn't want to leave him standing. They reached Elsa's study, outside which the councilors were waiting. The servant set the chair down in the corridor and the scholar sat down gratefully.

Admiral Salomon came out of Elsa's study, and bowed to Anna. "My Lady," he greeted her.

"Admiral," Anna said, inclining her head.

He walked on, and Anna went into the study. Elsa was still at her desk, writing on a parchment, sometimes crossing out words. Anna watched as she angrily crossed out an entire paragraph and began writing furiously.

"Your Majesty," Anna said politely.

Without looking up, Elsa said, "When we're alone, you may just call me Elsa."

"Elsa, I have assembled three scribes. They wait in the corridor. Do you need me for anything else at the moment?"

Elsa stopped writing and gave Anna a curious look, then said, "Stay. There is something else I want to discuss. I won't be but a moment longer."

Anna curtsied and sat down. For the next five minutes, the only sounds were the ticking of the clock and the scratching of the quill. Then Elsa read and re-read the letter silently. Anna waited patiently. She wanted to return to Kristoff, but her first duty was to her elder sister and queen, and she knew how important this was.

Elsa finally said, "Tell me what you think." She read the letter aloud.

Anna listened carefully. Like Elsa, she knew how powerful words were. Their father had taught them that. "All of international politics, whole alliances, can turn on a courteous phrase or a well-written missive," he had often said. "And likewise, poorly chosen words can start a war."

Elsa finished reading the letter aloud. Anna joined her and scrutinized her words intently. The letter was simple and extremely courteous, notifying the recipient of Elsa's intent to visit, and requesting a time frame during which she would be welcome, preferably before the beginning of autumn.

Anna made a couple of suggestions, and they discussed some of the finer nuances in the second paragraph. Most people would have thought they were spending a great deal of time on things which were ridiculously trivial, but they were in deadly earnest.

Half an hour actually passed before they were both satisfied with the final result. Anna called the men in the corridor into the study. Elsa handed them the letter and instructed them to make fifteen copies.

"Fifteen?" Anna asked.

"I want some extra, just in case. And we need at least one for the archives."

The men bowed and went off to fulfill their duty.

Elsa heaved a huge sigh of relief, and Anna thought she looked at peace for the first time that afternoon.

Elsa poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher on her desk, poured one for Anna, and motioned for her to sit in one of the two chairs by the window. They turned the chairs to face each other and sat down. Each took a sip of her water and set it on the small table which stood directly beneath the window. Elsa gazed out at the Atlantic Ocean for a moment.

"We've come a long way in the past couple of weeks," Elsa said quietly.

"We have indeed."

Elsa looked at Anna and let out a long, slow sigh, then she looked down, avoiding Anna's gaze, as if she didn't know how to proceed. "Anna, I have a request," she finally said.

"You have but to name it. You know I await your command."

Elsa smiled. "This isn't the command of a queen, it is the request of a sister."

Anna was astonished to see that Elsa's hands were trembling. She leant forward and gently took them in her own. "My answer is the same," she said. "You have but to name it."

Elsa's mouth quivered a bit. She licked her lips and said, "The night you saved my life, when we spoke in the bath, I told you that we missed a special bonding period in our lives and that that weighs heavily on my heart."

"On mine, as well."

"In my mind, I can see so clearly what we should have had." A tear rolled down Elsa's face. "Two girls, eight and six years old, lying in bed late at night after we should have gone to sleep, watching the Northern Lights. Two girls, ten and eight years old, huddled under the covers late at night after we should have gone to sleep, reading adventure stories and giggling. Two girls, twelve and ten years old, sitting in bed late at night next to an open window, after we should have gone to sleep, watching a storm roll in off the ocean. Two girls, fourteen and twelve years old, lying in bed late at night after we should have gone to sleep, talking about our futures one moment, talking about clothes the next. Two girls, fifteen and thirteen years old, lying in bed late at night after we should have gone to sleep, looking up at the moon and talking about the people we have crushes on." Tears streamed down Elsa's face, and Anna's eyes began to mist up, also. "And on every one of those nights, and on a thousand others just like them, we fall asleep next to each other, possibly in each other's arms, and awake in the morning sun. Can you see it, Anna? Can you see what I see?"

"I can see it," Anna whispered.

"The bracers work," Elsa said. "For the first time in forever, I can sleep in a real bed, in a real bedroom, with a window, with no fear of harming anyone or anything. And my request is a sleepover." She smiled through her tears. "Would you like to come sleep in my bedroom tonight? Because my most intense desire is to lie in bed with my only sister, just talking long into the night, and to hold her as she goes to sleep, and to wake with her in my arms."

Anna was speechless for several seconds. She finally swallowed hard and said, "Yes. Yes! Of course! It sounds wonderful! But only if we can have all the chocolate we want."

Elsa laughed, and Anna smiled. "I assure you, there will be chocolate," Elsa said.

Anna shook her head in amazement. "Why would you be so afraid to make such a request?"

"Because we're grown women now, and grown women need space and don't do the things little girls do, so I was afraid you would think my request was too uncomfortable. I can't really see us having a sleepover every night, or making a habit of this."

Anna shook her head. "I love it. And we can have sleepovers as often as you wish!"

Elsa's face turned red. "Well, if things keep going the way they are, I suspect your sleepovers will be with Kristoff soon, which won't leave much room for me."

Anna blushed.

"And that's why I wanted to make this request now, because once things get really serious between you and Kristoff, it would be awkward for you, a grown woman, to leave him and tell him you're going to spend the night with your sister."

Anna nodded. "That's true," she conceded.

"So, we may only do this the once," Elsa said. "So let's make it count."

Anna kissed Elsa's hands and said, "I'll be there. We'll never be able to pack fifteen years of what-should-have-been into a single night. We each must grieve that loss. But I swear to you, I will be there."

"Thank you, Anna. And now, I think you should run off. Kristoff is waiting for you."

"Yes, he- wait a minute, I didn't tell you Kristoff was waiting for me. How did you know that?"

"One must know these things if one is to be queen."

* * *

Anna found Kristoff waiting alone in the parlor.

"Are you free from your royal duties?" he asked.

"For the moment."

He took her in his arms. "I was hoping that we could spend the day together tomorrow. The whole day, free of any burdens. Beginning with breakfast."

"I'll have to ask Elsa."

"Elsa's already said yes."

He smiled at her enigmatically, and she looked at him through narrowed eyes. "I see," she said carefully. "Well in that case, Kristoff, I am all yours. Tomorrow."

They kissed.

"But for today, I have to run. I have some things I need to do before tonight, then Elsa and I are going to spend some time together."

He let out a frustrated sigh, but it was in jest. "Must I always come second to the queen?"

"No," she said with a smile. "Someday you might come third or fourth."

He scrunched his eyes at her in a mock glare.

They kissed again, and she said, "Breakfast tomorrow. See you there."

She ran off.

* * *

Carrying a box of her belongings, Anna approached Elsa's closed bedroom door and was overcome by emotion. How many times had she knocked on this door and received no answer, or been told to go away? Hundreds, at least. This closed door represented fifteen years of separation.

Shaking a little, Anna raised her fist. A memory of knocking on the ice palace door flashed through her mind.

She knocked.

And the door opened.

Elsa stood there, smiling. She reached out, grabbed Anna, and pulled her inside. "Come on!" Elsa said playfully, just like she had that day when they'd gone ice skating in the courtyard.

Anna was all smiles, then she gasped. On a table along one wall was an assortment of chocolate treats.

"Where did all this come from?" Anna asked, setting her box on the dresser.

"Technically, the dark chocolate and mint delights are from Paris, and the chocolate-covered cherries and the milk chocolate bars are from Switzerland. Less technically, they're left over from my coronation."

Anna giggled and nibbled on some dark chocolate. "Ohh," she groaned. "This is so good!"

"I thought milk chocolate was your favorite."

"It is. I'll save that for later."

Anna looked around approvingly. The bedroom was immaculate. The bed was near the window. Outside, the sun drifted toward the horizon.

"This is nice," Anna said. "You've already moved your bed in here."

"Yes. It was the first order I gave the servants when we returned."

Anna saw a closed door on one side of the room. "Is that your old sleeping room?"

"It is."

Anna thought for a moment, then asked, "May I?"

Elsa gestured at the door. "If you wish. It's nothing special."

With her heart pounding, Anna slowly opened the door, and her breath was taken away. Despite Elsa's description, it was still a shock to see it in person. A dark empty room, lined with steel plates on the walls and ceiling, etched with thousands of marks.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna whispered, walking into the room and looking around. "It...it looks like a prison. And all these marks look like a prisoner scratching out the days."

"Yes, it's a depressing place," Elsa said, joining her. "Luckily, I was never awake in here very much."

Anna wept. "All those years."

Elsa held her hand. "As hard as it may be to believe, sleeping in this room isn't as bad as it sounds. Not having a life, being separated from you – that was infinitely worse." She smiled. "But I have thrown away the past, and I have been blessed with wonderful gifts." She indicated the bracers she wore. "And this room means nothing to me any more."

Anna smiled at her. "May you never sleep in here again."

"Absolutely!" Elsa led Anna out of the horrible room and deliberately shut the door. "And that's all we're going to talk about that. Tonight is a good night, and we're going to celebrate what we have, not what we didn't get. We're going to celebrate love, and the future."

Anna hugged her. "And I am so happy you can sleep in a normal bed, with a window."

"And a sister."

They held each other for a moment, then Elsa kissed Anna on the cheek.

"What did you bring?" Elsa asked, indicating the box Anna had brought with her.

Anna pulled things out of the box one at a time. "My nightgown. My slippers. My own secret stash of chocolate." She held out a box of truffles.

"Ooh!" Elsa's face lit up.

"Help yourself," Anna continued. "My chocolate is your chocolate, and we can add that to the pile. I brought barrettes, in case we feel like messing with our hair. And – ooh!" She grinned at Elsa and held up a book.

"What is that?"

"My diary!"

Elsa gave her a quizzical look.

Anna looked half-embarrassed. "I tried to keep a diary when I was fifteen, but I wasn't very good about keeping it current. Sometimes I wrote about you and how much I missed you, and I figure we can skip those parts, because we both know that's over with. But I think I wrote about some other stuff that was going on in the castle, and a boy I had a crush on."

Elsa's eyes sparkled. "You had a crush on a boy?"

Anna blushed. "Yes. He was a stablehand. I never had the courage to tell him, but it wouldn't have worked, anyway."

"Why not?"

"He was infatuated with all the sailors who came through port."

Elsa stifled a laugh. Anna grinned.

"I haven't opened this since I last wrote in it, which I think was four years ago," Anna said. "Now I'm afraid to, because I know I'll just cringe at all the goofy things I wrote."

"Then why did you bring it?"

"Because I figured we could read it and have a good laugh."

* * *

Elsa had a servant bring in coffee, and they lounged on the bed in the most un-regal way, munching on chocolate and watching the sun set over the Atlantic. The window was open, and the wind, carrying the smell of the sea, was refreshing. Lanterns began to light up the town below.

"Do you sleep with your hair braided?" Elsa asked.

Anna shrugged. "Depends on what I feel like. Usually I'll go for a few days before undoing it."

"I do the same. Although sometimes I wonder what it would be like just to cut my hair short."

"Really?" Anna asked. "Hmm. I've never thought about it. Why don't you?"

Elsa shrugged. "It would be so unladylike, I'm not sure I have the courage."

"Isn't it strange how, even though you're the ruler, you still don't feel like you can do whatever you want?"

"Oh, believe me. That thought crosses my mind every day."

They watched the sun set. Although neither of them said it out loud, they were thinking the same thing, and they knew they were thinking the same thing: this sunset on the ocean was the perfect counterpoint to the sunset several days earlier in the mountains, viewed from the ice palace. Two sunsets: one at sea level, the other at the top of the sky.

The sounds of the town drifted up from below: the faint sounds of horses' hooves; the occasional shouts of the longshoremen; the laughter of people greeting one another in the pub after a hard day's work.

After the final bit of the sun's glowing disc disappeared, Elsa lay her head on her arms. "So, you have a secret chocolate stash," she said.

Anna let out a brief, mock-evil laugh. "Just enough to get me by."

"As queen, I should know all the secrets of my castle. So what's in this stash? And more importantly, where do you keep it?"

"Why do you need to know where I keep my secret stash?"

"In case the castle ever comes under siege. I need to know where all emergency rations are located."

"Uh huh," Anna said skeptically. "Well, Your Majesty, I keep my secret stash in my dressing bureau, buried beneath ladies' undergarments. So if you ever believe that you are about to starve, you may go there at any time and help yourself. Although you won't find anything there at the moment, because I brought the whole thing. The truffles are all I had." She gave Elsa a sidelong long. "But I would wager that _you_ have a secret stash, too."

"Perhaps. I wouldn't call it a stash, more a pile of chocolate close to my bed so I don't have to raid the kitchen."

"That's the definition of a stash."

Elsa started to speak, thought for a second, then said, "Yes, so it is."

"And where do you keep your chocolate stash?"

"Is this when I pull rank and say I don't have to tell you?"

"Nope! I'm not gonna let you get away with that!"

Elsa grinned at her for a second, then said, "I keep it in the same place you do!"

They cackled with laughter.

The next thing Anna knew, Elsa hit her on the back with a pillow.

Anna squealed and dove for the other pillow. Elsa hit her again on the way by. Anna grabbed the other pillow and came up swinging.

They shrieked and laughed like little girls, wailing away. The fight lasted several minutes as they maneuvered around the bed.

Gerda frantically knocked on the door. "Your Majesty! Princess! Are you all right?"

Elsa held up her hand to Anna and walked to the door. She opened it, still red-faced and giggling, a couple of feathers clinging to her hair. "Yes, we're quite all right, Gerda. We're just having fun."

"Very well, Your Majesty," Gerda said. She curtsied and left.

Anna hit Elsa in the back while Elsa closed the door.

"Hey!" Elsa cried. "I called time out!"

"You didn't say it out loud!"

"That's not fair!"

The shrieking and hitting resumed, and they chased each other around the room. A minute later, Anna's pillow knocked one of the empty coffee mugs off the bedside table. It shattered on the floor.

They came to a sudden stop, both looking at the broken dish and each other with simultaneous looks of amusement and horror. Then they burst out laughing again.

* * *

"Thank you, Gerda," Elsa said, as Gerda swept the shattered coffee mug into a dust pan. Elsa stood near Gerda while Anna sat on the bed. The sisters still felt the adrenaline from the pillow fight flowing through them. Their faces glowed red and were full of mirth.

"That's quite all right, Your Highness," Gerda said cheerfully. "But I'll just take these dishes downstairs so you don't break any more."

"Anna's actually the one who broke it."

Anna's jaw dropped open, stunned that Elsa had actually said that. She raised the pillow menacingly. Elsa, holding back laughter, just gave her a triumphant grin.

"Oh, I imagine you both had something to do with it," Gerda said.

Anna nodded. She pointed at Gerda and gave Elsa a _she-knows-what-she's-talking-about_ kind of look.

Gerda left and Elsa closed the door behind her. She turned to face Anna. Both still held their pillows.

"Truce?" Elsa asked.

Anna glared at Elsa, pretending to think about it. "Truce," she said. "But you lay down your pillow first."

"Why should I be first?"

"You were the initial aggressor."

Elsa thought about this. "True. But since then, the war has claimed casualties on both sides. So we lay down our arms together."

"Okay," Anna said after a moment.

Elsa walked to the bed as they eyed each other warily. They laid their pillows on the bed and let them go.

"There," Elsa said. "Peace once more!"

Anna grinned.

* * *

They lay under the covers in their night gowns, browsing Anna's diary.

"Oh, my gosh!" Anna exclaimed. "I'd forgotten that!"

"What?"

"The cook and the stablemaster were having an affair!"

"Seriously?"

"Yes! I wrote all about it. I'd completely forgotten!"

"Is it wrong that I want to read every glorious detail?"

"Not unless I'm wrong, too."

They eagerly read the scandalous story, as told by a younger Anna. It was all good fun until they came to the part where the spouses found out, then it was just sad.

As they went through the diary, Anna cringed at some things, and they laughed at others. Anna blithely skipped passages which spoke about Elsa shutting her out, but Elsa couldn't help noticing them as they went past.

Hours flew by as they alternated reading parts of the diary and just lying there, talking and laughing. It was exactly as Elsa had always wished. But even though they were having so much fun, they finally reached a point when they could hardly keep their eyes open.

Elsa set the book on the bedside table, blew out the lamp, and cuddled with Anna.

"This has been the most wonderful night of my whole life," Anna murmured.

"Me too," Elsa whispered, and kissed the top of her head.

They settled down to sleep. Elsa wept silently, not wanting to disturb Anna, as a lifelong dream was finally fulfilled, and her sister fell asleep in her arms, her head lying on Elsa's chest. Elsa struggled to stay awake as long as she could, to preserve this moment in her memory forever. She knew it would never happen again.

They were still lying in each other's arms when they awoke in the mid-morning sun.

* * *

"How much sleep did you actually get last night?" Kristoff asked as he and the sisters finished breakfast.

"A few hours," Anna said, stifling a yawn. "But don't worry. I'm awake enough to do whatever you want to do today."

"I sure hope so."

Servants cleared away the dishes.

"So, what do you have planned for me?" Anna asked.

"First, I thought we'd spend a few hours shoveling out the stables," Kristoff said. "After lunch, we'll scrub the deck of one of the navy's larger ships. Then we'll finish the day hauling fish in barrels onto the loading dock."

"I'll bet you talk to all the ladies that way," Anna said.

"Only you."

Anna turned to Elsa. "Is this what passes for romance in our modern age?"

"I wouldn't know," she said with a smile. "But it sounds like love to me."

Anna turned back to Kristoff. "So what are we _really_ going to do?"

"Shovel stables, swab decks-"

Anna gave him the Princess Stare.

Kristoff smiled. "It's a surprise." He looked out the doorway and motioned for someone to come in.

Olaf entered carrying a bouquet of flowers. He set them in front of Anna.

"But it starts with flowers," Kristoff said.

"Oh my gosh!" Anna exclaimed. "These are beautiful!"

Elsa nodded.

"Lovely flowers for a lovely lady," Kristoff said.

Anna and Elsa looked at each other, clearly impressed. "He's such a gentleman!" Elsa said.

"He is!" Anna said. "Who knew?" She grinned at Kristoff and said, "They're lovely."

She looked down at Olaf and said, "I like your new nose. I see you stuck with carrots."

"I'm a traditionalist at heart," Olaf said.

Kristoff stood up and made ready to pull back Anna's chair for her. "So if you will come with me, Your Highness, your perfect day awaits."

"My perfect day?" Anna asked with a smile, standing up.

Kristoff offered his arm. "That's my goal, making today a perfect day."

Anna curtsied to Elsa and said, "If you will excuse us."

"But of course!"

Anna and Kristoff walked off, arm in arm.

"Making today a perfect day," Elsa muttered. "That phrase has a ring to it. I'll have to remember that for Anna's birthday."

* * *

They rode into the hills in a surrey pulled by Sven. Kristoff sang a number of songs on his lute, and Anna laughed at all of them. Some were a little more ribald than a princess would normally hear, causing Anna to blush and put her hand over her open mouth, but she still laughed.

They stopped and walked through the forest for a while. At one point they removed their shoes and waded in a creek, laughing and splashing each other a little.

Then they returned to the surrey and rode around until they found a nice meadow on a hillside overlooking the ocean. Kristoff spread a blanket on the grass, then pulled out a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, along with a basket containing bread, ham, cheese and grapes. They sat and had a marvelous picnic. Afterwards, Kristoff pulled out his lute and sang some more. Anna just gazed at him and smiled, and knew that she was hopelessly in love.

"Don't you know any love songs?" she finally asked.

"Me? Nah. I can sing you a song about a barmaid named Rosie and how she had a fling with a different guy every day of the week, but that's about as close as I can get."

She playfully slapped his shoulder and lay on her back, looking at the sky. "Hey, that cloud looks like Olaf!"

He lay next to her, and for the next few hours, they just talked about the future, and about the shapes they saw in the clouds. At one point, they dozed for a bit.

As the sun began to fall towards the horizon, they packed everything away and headed back to the castle. "We have one more stop to make," Kristoff said with a grin.

He asked a servant to stable Sven, then led Anna over the bridge towards the waterfall. And that's when his plan hit a snag. He felt Anna pull back a little.

He looked at her. She was tense.

"Hey," he said. "What's wrong?"

She was silent for a moment and licked her lips. "You're taking me up to Waterfall Point, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah!" he said. "It's beautiful up there."

Anna looked awkward. She clearly did not want to upset him, but at the same time, she clearly did not want to proceed. "Hans proposed to me on Waterfall Point," she whispered.

"Oh," Kristoff said, his plans crashing down around him.

"I'm sorry, Kristoff, I really am. It's not you. It's just that that's such a bad memory for me. I haven't been up there since..."

Kristoff held her hands. "How many times throughout your life have you stood on Waterfall Point?"

"Hundreds."

"Were all those other times good memories?"

"Yes, but that's not the point. This particular memory is a really, really bad one." She looked down.

"Listen, Hans broke your heart, and he left you feeling humiliated. But he's a monster; he also hurt the rest of us; and most of all, he's not here. And I _am_ here." He put a hand beneath her chin and gently raised her face. "He took enough, so don't give him any more. Waterfall Point is a distinctive part of this castle, and this town. It's yours and mine and Elsa's. And if you trust me, let me take you up there and give you a good memory of that place again. And the memory of you and me on Waterfall Point will replace any memory you have of him. Your memory of him will uproot and blow away like ashes on the wind."

Anna swallowed hard. Her entire world in that moment was Kristoff's kind and understanding face, made golden by the rays of the setting sun.

"I will never ask for anything again," she whispered. "How could I? I'm already the luckiest girl in the whole world."

Kristoff smiled. Together, hand in hand, they climbed to Waterfall Point. Anna stepped onto it with Kristoff, reclaiming it.

They looked out at the view all around them, with the water cascading on either side. Kristoff looked at Anna, and he knew that any thoughts of Hans had been completely banished from her mind.

They gazed at the sun sinking in the west. It was partially obscured by clouds, causing sunbeams to shine through the gaps. The undersides of the clouds were bathed in a deep, rich red.

"This is my second perfect sunset in a row," she said softly.

"Well, allow me to make it even more perfect." Still holding her hand, he knelt on one knee and looked up at her. "My dearest Anna, will you do me the honor and privilege of marrying me?"

Anna wept. "Yes," she said through her tears. "The honor and privilege would be all mine."

Kristoff stood and took her in his arms. They kissed for a long time, lost in each other.

They sat on Waterfall Point, holding and nuzzling each other, watching the sun set, watching the stars come out. They began kissing each other more urgently, and even more urgently. Then their passion took over, and they made the best memory they possibly could on Waterfall Point.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Strangest In-Laws

"Elsa, I need to talk to you," Anna said.

Elsa, sitting at the desk in her study, set aside the papers she was reading and motioned for Anna to take a seat.

Anna closed the door and sat down. The sisters were alone.

"Elsa, I know you want me to have the perfect wedding. And I appreciate it. But planning my wedding and preparing for your trip at the same time is obviously taking a toll on you, and it hurts my heart to see you run yourself ragged."

"But both things are so very important to me!"

"I know! But there are other people in the castle besides yourself. Please think about delegating some things."

Elsa scowled. "I _am_ delegating things."

"And then insisting on reviewing everything in detail, which defeats the purpose. Look, Elsa...please. You can take four days to choose the perfect color of the icing on the cake, but when you become grumpy as a result, that weighs on my heart, and it's the grumpiness I'm going to remember most. Your frantic need to make my wedding perfect is so agonizing to watch that it defeats the purpose."

Elsa sighed. "I just want to do right by you, Anna."

Anna reached down to grab the chair and scooted it forward in a very unladylike way, until she was close to Elsa, then reached out and took Elsa's hands.

"Listen to me very carefully, Elsa, because I don't want you to think I'm just saying this to be polite. I'm saying this because I really mean it. _The details don't matter._ When Kristoff and I exchange our vows, the only thing in the whole world I'll care about is that you're there beside me."

"Anna, I shut you out for so many years, and you were prepared to sacrifice yourself to save me. This is my chance to do something wonderful for you, to set you on a pedestal on the most wonderful day of your life."

Anna smiled. "I know. I understand that, really I do. Don't think for one moment that I don't. But the little details like seating charts, and cake icing color, and whether the drapes match my dress, are not what make the day important."

"But..."

"Listen. You want to do something wonderful for me, right?"

"Absolutely!"

"Do you love me?"

"With all of my heart!"

"Well, there you go! Mission accomplished. See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Anna smiled at her.

Elsa gave her a tired smile of acceptance in return. "I know it's not important to you, and I understand what you're saying. But Anna, I have a deep need to do something incredible for you. Something dazzling. It's something I can't explain, and I beg you to understand it. This need will never go away until I fulfill it. And I can't think of any better opportunity than your wedding."

"We can postpone the wedding until you return from your trip."

"No. You told me once that you want a summer wedding, when the world is full of warmth and flowers, and I won't return until the midpoint of autumn. And I'm certainly not having you postpone your wedding for an entire year just for me."

"Yet planning my wedding and preparing for your trip simultaneously is grinding you down."

"I'll find a way to handle it."

"All right, but will you please promise me that you'll ease up on yourself about all the details?"

Elsa hesitated, then said, "I can't make that promise. Like I said, this is a need I can't describe. I want to see this through."

"Then how about an alternative? My birthday is in the spring. What if you eased up on the wedding plans, and instead, concentrated on making my birthday super special? That would give you a lot more time, and would also fulfill your deep need to do something wonderful for me."

Elsa blushed. "I suppose this is as good a time as any to tell you that I'm already planning something super special for your birthday, in addition to making your wedding perfect."

Anna laughed and shook her head. "Well, I obviously cannot dissuade you. I didn't really think I could. But seriously, Elsa." She lovingly put a hand on the side of Elsa's face. "The greatest wedding gift you can give me is not to run yourself into the ground. That gift would be greater than all others combined. If you give me a day that's technically perfect but emotionally empty, that is not a perfect day. I want my sister at my wedding, happy and healthy. Everything else is subordinate to that. I'm not going to leave unless you promise to remember that."

"I understand," Elsa said solemnly. "And I promise you I will remember that."

"Thank you."

They embraced.

After they pulled apart, Anna asked, "So what can I do to at least lift the burden of your travel plans?"

Elsa reached into her pile of papers and produced a letter. "Queen Victoria's reply vexes me. In one paragraph, she implies that I would be welcome to visit, then in the next paragraph, she implies the opposite. But she doesn't explicitly say one way or the other. The tone of the letter is also vaguely hostile, hinting that she would take action against me should I practice sorcery in her realm."

"Queen Victoria's fear and dislike of anything supernatural are well known."

"Actually, I believe that to be a rumor. I have heard reliable reports that she and her husband participate in seances."

"Really?"

"But whatever the case, her letter is useless, and I want to strangle the woman. I need to write her a letter that is polite, yet stresses the need for a definitive, swift response. My entire schedule hangs upon her answer."

"Maybe she knows that, and her lack of a definitive response is merely a way of trying to put you in your place."

"Oh, I'm sure it is. That's why I want to strangle her."

Anna smiled, then looked thoughtful. "Or maybe she wants to see you, but she's afraid. Maybe she's trying to tell you, as best as she knows how, that if you first promise not to use any magic, then she'll feel comfortable granting you an audience. If that's what she wants, there's no polite way she could possibly say it, because no matter how she worded it, it would always sound like a threat, even though she wouldn't mean it as one."

"Hmm," Elsa said. "That is another way to interpret her words, and you could be right. This is why many minds are good; sometimes one person sees something that another person doesn't. And I like your theory, because I cannot possibly imagine that Queen Victoria would refuse to see me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because she knows I'll also be visiting her enemies, so if I don't visit her, she'll be left burning with curiosity and harboring suspicions of alliances. No ruler would ever allow that to happen."

"England doesn't really have enemies in this part of the world any more. They've actually been at peace with France for several decades, which is some kind of a record."

"It is remarkable, but that doesn't mean they're friends."

Anna gave a sharp intake of breath as she suddenly thought of something. "Some of our neighbors are probably going to ask you to use your magic to help them in their own wars!"

Elsa nodded. "Believe me, I am fully aware of what awaits me. But I will firmly adhere to my own agenda: reassuring others of our neutrality, our strength, and our peaceful intentions."

Anna nodded. "You wish me to write a reply to Queen Victoria?"

"Yes. I would like the draft finished by supper, if possible. Promise her that I would never do anything to displease her, whether it be magical or not. It would be a huge burden off my shoulders."

"Consider it done!"

Anna backpedaled her feet, scooting her chair back to its original position. Again, she looked very unlike a princess when she did this, but she looked completely like the typical Anna. It made Elsa smile.

Anna stood and headed for the door. Just before she reached it, she turned to Elsa and said, "Oh, yes. I almost forgot. What are you and the seamstress up to in your room? You've practically barricaded the poor woman in there."

Elsa smiled. "It's somewhat of a secret, but thank you for reminding me, because you need to know." She stood and indicated a large pocket sewn onto the right side of her dress. It was barely noticeable. "I've ordered the seamstress to sew a pocket onto every dress I own, and to make it blend into the dress's fabric as best as she can, because I don't want to call attention to it. If I ever need to take the bracers off in an emergency, I want a place to put them so I won't lose them."

"That makes sense," Anna said. "You're pretty smart. You ought to be in charge of this place."

Elsa fluttered her eyes and pretended to fan herself. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Anna giggled at her and left.

Elsa walked to the window and looked out, wondering how she could possibly give Anna her perfect wedding without running herself ragged. In the distance, she saw Kristoff, Sven and Olaf walking together and laughing, and the answer, in all its simplicity, suddenly appeared.

* * *

In the end, Queen Victoria sent word that she would gladly entertain a visit by Queen Elsa, and Anna's wedding day was indeed perfect.

The wedding was not witnessed by many people. Anna and Kristoff ultimately decided that they wanted a small, private ceremony. They held it in the cathedral. Anna's white wedding gown was intricate and gorgeous, but beyond that, the wedding did not involve a lot of fanfare.

Elsa was Anna's bridesmaid. Olaf was there, as well as Gerda and Kai, who had been friends as much as servants since before the sisters were born. Most notably, Grand Pabbie and some of the other rock trolls were also there, visiting the town and the castle for the first time. Elsa had sent a surrey to bring them, because, with their short legs, walking to the castle would have been an arduous trek.

The reception in the ballroom was really what embodied Elsa's idea: the simplicity of commoners. Anna was a bit quirky and, at times, very unlike a princess; she was marrying a commoner; and no foreign dignitaries were invited. When Elsa had put these facts together in her mind, she had realized that an ostentatious wedding reception would be nothing more than a waste of everyone's time.

While her coronation had been a regal and high-class affair, Anna's wedding reception was more laid back. The common townsfolk wandered freely about the ground floor of the castle, laughing, singing folk songs, and dancing whenever they felt like it. An impromptu band formed without any organization at all. Beer was served in the courtyard, champagne was served inside. Elsa's only rule was that no beer was to enter the castle, because she felt it would stink for days afterward. Other than that, the people could do what they wanted. It had the general feel of a party given by one of the neighbors, only this particular neighbor just happened to be the queen. It was absolutely perfect, suiting the personalities of her sister and new brother-in-law, and she'd hardly had to do a thing.

Elsa wandered through the crowd, just being friendly. She had her bracers with her (indeed, she never wanted to be parted from them), but did not wear them because occasionally someone would ask her to make a snowflake, and she didn't want people to see her taking the bracers off and putting them back on.

But she tried to keep displays of her power to a minimum, and whenever someone requested a demonstration, she used her tact and conversational skills to steer people away from the topic as best she could. She did this because this was Anna's night, not hers, and she was not interested in showing off. But she also did this because she did not want her magical power to become her identity. She desperately wanted to be known as Elsa, Queen of the People, not Elsa, the Frost Queen Who Could Make Snowflakes.

Elsa was not accustomed to staying up late, but she wanted the party to last as long as the people wanted it to, and she didn't want to leave until it was over. Around midnight she felt drowsy, so she put the bracers on as a precaution. By two in the morning, her thoughts were fuzzy, but the party started to wind down about that time. By three, the party had mostly dissolved, so she asked the servants if they could handle it from there, and they assured her they could.

Elsa went to Anna and Kristoff, who looked like they could have stayed up partying until dawn. Elsa kissed Kristoff on the cheek and said, "You are the best brother-in-law I could ask for. Welcome to the family."

He smiled and bowed.

Elsa and Anna held each other for a long time.

"Thank you," Anna said, her voice full of emotion. "This has been a day to remember. It was beyond perfect. Thank you so much."

"You are so very welcome," Elsa said, and kissed her on the cheek. "But even perfect days must give way to sleep, and sleep is where I shall be within ten minutes. Good night!"

"Good night!" they both said, bowing.

Elsa went to bed, happy as kitten with a ball of yarn that she had arranged a perfect day for Anna. One of her two major tasks was complete. Now she could concentrate on her trip, which would begin in three days.

* * *

The rock trolls were set to leave the next day after lunch, but before they did, Elsa asked to see Grand Pabbie in her study because she needed his advice. She asked Anna and Kristoff to join them, because she felt it was vital that they have the same knowledge she did, in case anything ever happened to her.

Elsa related to Grand Pabbie her conversation with Maren in detail, and showed him the bracers.

Grand Pabbie sighed. "I do not like it, but I also know what is at stake, so I cannot fault you for entering into your bargain with the nix."

"Do you have any thoughts or advice on the matter?" Elsa asked.

Grand Pabbie said, "Even if Maren is not overtly dangerous, my instinct tells me she will seek to twist your bargain somehow. It is a nix's nature to cause mischief. I strongly urge you never to visit her again, unless you deem it to be absolutely necessary. Did you sense that Maren feared you?"

"Feared me? No, quite the opposite."

"Your power is phenomenal, Queen Elsa," Grand Pabbie said. "If Maren ever becomes hostile, I feel you could defeat her easily, simply by freezing her domain."

"And that would freeze her, as well?" Elsa asked.

"It would," Grand Pabbie said. "There is no distinction between a nix and her home. When a nix claims a body of water, she doesn't just live in it, she becomes it. The water becomes her. They are the same. And in all probability, you could crush her with a wave of your hand. I believe Maren came to the surface to speak with you not just because you wield the power of an elemental, but because she was terrified."

"If she was scared of Elsa, she hid it well," Anna said. Elsa nodded.

"Nixie are masters of deceit," Grand Pabbie said.

"Could she have lied to us outright about the bracers?" Anna asked.

"I doubt it," Grand Pabbie said. "Perhaps I should have said, nixie are masters of _subtle_ deceit. If she is truly frightened of Queen Elsa, as I surmise, she would not dare incur the queen's wrath. Yet, as I said, mischief is their nature, and sometimes they cannot resist. All I can say is, be wary."

Grand Pabbie held Elsa's hands and said, "Please do not take my belief in your ability to defeat Maren easily as certain truth, for I have never met Maren and therefore I do not know the extent of her power. I only tell you what I believe is _probably_ true."

"I understand," Elsa said. "Thank you."

The royal family escorted Grand Pabbie to the surrey waiting to take the trolls home. Kristoff's adoptive mother gave Anna a big hug and said, "It's so wonderful to have a daughter-in-law!"

"It's so wonderful to have a mother-in-law!" Anna replied.

The trolls hugged Kristoff and bowed to the queen, then piled into the surrey. As they rode away, half of them kept waving, while the other half were already asleep.

"It's official," Anna said. "I have the strangest in-laws in the world."

* * *

Elsa and Anna stood side by side in Elsa's study, holding hands. They stared straight ahead with hardly any motion. The clock ticked away the minutes, and still, they did not move.

"Queen Elsa, chin up just a tad," Erik said. "Too far. Down a hair. Yes, there. Thank you." Erik's brush moved swiftly and surely across the canvas.

The door opened and one of the queen's councilors entered and bowed. "Forgive the interruption, Your Majesty, but you instructed us to inform you of any developments."

"We shall take a break," Elsa said to Erik. "Please give us a moment."

Erik bowed, set down his palette and brush, and left.

"Your Majesty, we have received word from Weselton," the councilor said, holding out a letter.

Elsa gently opened the envelope and read the letter. If Anna and Elsa had been alone, Anna would have stood next to her and read it with her, but in the presence of the councilor, Anna maintained decorum and stood nearby.

Elsa smiled and handed the letter to Anna, who read it swiftly. It explained that the duke had retired, and his nephew Prince Heinrich now ruled Weselton. Prince Heinrich was deeply apologetic of the way his uncle had behaved and wanted to re-open trade with Arendelle.

"It happened exactly as you said it would," Anna said with wonder and respect.

"And no one is more relieved than I am," Elsa said. To the councilor, she said, "I shall compose my reply tonight or tomorrow. Is there any other news?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"Very well. Thank you, and dismissed."

The councilor bowed and left.

While they were talking, Anna had wandered over to see how their portrait was progressing. Elsa came to join her. The portrait was about two-thirds complete.

"He really is very good," Anna said.

"Yes. I was afraid he wouldn't be as good as his father, but he seems to have inherited his talent."

"Did Erik's father paint Father's portrait?"

"He did," Elsa said, gazing up at the portrait of their father which hung over the desk. "His family has painted the royal portraits for four generations."

"Yesterday's portrait has probably been hung!" Anna said. "Let's go see!"

They walked down the corridor to a point just outside the parlor, where a portrait of Anna and Kristoff now adorned the wall. Erik came along, making his way back to the study.

"It's beautiful!" Anna told him.

Erik smiled and bowed. "I am honored. And yes, I am pleased with it also."

"Will we be able to finish the portraits today?" Elsa asked.

"That should not be a problem," Erik said. "We are on schedule. You know, I don't think any previous ruler ever commissioned multiple portraits."

"That's probably true," Elsa said as they made their way back to the study. "But Anna's wedding and my coronation took place so close together that it only made sense to have you do both at once. And truth be told, I am only posing for the solo portrait because it is tradition. Anna is my rock and my right hand. She is practically a co-ruler with me. Any portrait which shows me standing alone is not an accurate portrait, and I know I shall feel empty every time I see it because someone is missing. The portrait of me and Anna together is the one I shall cherish, and the one I hope our descendants hold in high regard. As far as I'm concerned, it is the real portrait."

Anna's face was red. "You honor me so much."

Elsa smiled at her. "And I mean every word."

They entered the study. Elsa and Anna once more held hands and posed, and Erik once again took up his palette and brush.

* * *

Anna's heart beat fast. She tried not to let her emotions show, but she just wasn't as good at hiding them as Elsa was. She tried not to look out the study window, at the luggage being loaded onto the ship. Kristoff took her hand and squeezed it. Anna gave a tight smile, but her anxiety did not ease.

Elsa packed the valise with all the documents she felt she might need, as well as a few books to read on the journey, then closed the case and locked it with a padlock. The key to the padlock was on a necklace. She put the necklace on and tucked it inside her clothing so that it was not visible.

"Please take that to the ship," Elsa said. "I'll be along in a moment."

Kai bowed and left with the valise, closing the door behind him, leaving the royal family alone.

Elsa turned to Anna and said, "Well, you got married, but I'm the one taking a trip."

Anna couldn't bring herself to answer.

Elsa came to Anna and took her hands. Anna tried to stop herself from weeping but it was already too late.

"I'll only be gone for three weeks," Elsa said reassuringly.

"The last time someone I love took a voyage by sea, they didn't come back," Anna said, her face twisted in pain and grief. This made Elsa begin to weep, also. It had been three years, but the heartache never really healed. For either of them.

"I can guarantee nothing," Elsa said. "You know that. But I'm voyaging on our finest vessel, the _Andersen_ , sailed by our finest crew. And I possess magic, and while I wish I had been born normal, there have been occasions when that magic has saved lives, including my own."

Anna pulled her into a tight embrace. "I shall count the days until you return."

"I know," Elsa said. "But count each day only once, then set your fear aside. Perform your duties and enjoy life."

Elsa kissed Anna on the cheek, and they pulled apart. Elsa stepped back a little and said, "Let's do this properly."

Anna nodded, bit back her tears, and somehow stood a little straighter.

"I leave my kingdom on a journey," Elsa said. "I hereby appoint you, Princess Anna, to rule in my stead until I return. The people shall follow your decisions and your commands as if they were my own."

Anna curtsied solemnly. "I accept the responsibility, and I look forward to your return, my dearest Queen Elsa."

They hugged once more for many moments.

Then Elsa turned to Kristoff, who bowed. His manner was much more relaxed. "Have a good trip, Your Majesty," he said. "We'll see you when you get back."

Elsa smiled and nodded. Then she left, turning in the doorway to give a last wave to them both.

After a moment, Kristoff said, "You know, it really will be okay."

"In my head I know that to be true. But in my heart I am sorely afraid."

Anna stood at the window and watched Elsa board the ship. Kristoff, who had no fear for the queen at all, wanted to get on with his day, but he knew that if he walked away, it would feel as if he was leaving Anna to face her worries alone. So he stood and watched alongside her like a good husband.

It was a long wait. Anna watched until the ship sailed out of sight, and continued watching the ocean for several minutes beyond that.

Finally, just to break the tension, she gently slugged Kristoff on the arm, who gently slugged her back. They smiled at each other and got on with their day.


	10. Chapter 10 - Thrones

At the sudden sound of men shouting and running, Elsa snapped her book shut, took a moment to check her appearance in the mirror, and walked out of her cabin. She was almost run over by a sailor rushing past.

"Begging your pardon, Your Majesty!" he said breathlessly, terrified that Elsa was about to rain down the wrath of royalty upon his head.

"It's quite all right," she assured him briskly. "Carry on."

He nodded and ran up the stairs. Elsa followed him. She didn't run, but her stride was that of a queen determined to know what the commotion was about.

On deck, Captain Peter Danielsen was giving orders to his men. Elsa hung back and did not interrupt him, for if this was an emergency, she would simply be in his way. She waited until he finished before approaching him.

He turned to the queen and spoke a single word. "Pirates."

He looked to starboard and Elsa followed his gaze. A brigantine was headed straight for them.

"Can we outrun them?" she asked.

Captain Danielsen shook his head. "We were heading into the wind, and they're riding with it. They came from the other side of Naess Island and cleared the promontory at the same time we did. We can turn and run, but they're already so close that they'll catch us long before we can reach safety. I made the decision to stand and fight." The question hung unspoken in the air between them: would his queen approve of his actions?

"You've done well, captain," Elsa said. "I defer to your knowledge and wisdom in these matters."

"Please secure yourself in your cabin, Your Majesty," he said.

"Will the pirates begin their attack with a cannon volley?" Elsa asked.

"Yes," he said. "In about thirty seconds, I'd say."

Elsa quickly removed her bracers and shoved them into her pocket. "Then this should be over swiftly. I won't be going below, captain, but thank you for your concern. Please do not argue, I don't have time to explain."

Captain Danielsen nodded and shouted at his men, "Prepare to fire, hold until my order!"

The pirate ship turned so that its guns were pointed at the _Andersen_. Moments later, a series of explosions rocked the pirate ship's deck, along the side nearest the _Andersen_.

The _Andersen_ 's crew stared, mouths hanging open, as the pirate ship dissolved into fire and chaos.

"I think you'll find that the pirates have lost their stomach for battle," Elsa said, putting her bracers back on.

"What just happened?" Captain Danielsen asked.

"I blocked up their cannon muzzles with ice," Elsa said.

Captain Danielsen looked at Elsa, dumbfounded, then looked back at the pirate ship.

The _Andersen_ , its crew cheering wildly, quickly left it behind.

* * *

Elsa enjoyed a lovely visit for two days with the king and queen of Norway before moving on to Sweden. She then visited several of the German and Prussian states, which was a little tricky politically, as there was now such animosity among them that some people were predicting the German Confederation would dissolve soon.

She gladly left all Germanic politics behind to visit Denmark. It was here that her breath was taken away, when King Christian introduced her to his daughter, Princess Stefanie.

Stefanie wore an elaborate beige gown and beautiful jewelry, but it was her flowing brown hair, her smile, and the intelligence evident in her eyes which took Elsa's breath away. Elsa smiled with delight upon meeting her. "It would be lovely to spend some time with you before I leave," she found herself saying, then mentally kicked herself, wondering if she was being too forward.

"Why yes, of course!" Stefanie said.

It took all of Elsa's willpower and training to keep her mind focused during the rest of the evening. She gave the royal family a brief demonstration of her power (paying careful attention to Stefanie's reaction, which didn't seem to be too bad), and reassured them of her harmlessness and her commitment to peace. But throughout the conversation, her heart did little flipflops whenever she looked at Stefanie.

When she retired to her guest room for the night, she had trouble writing in her journal. She had trouble falling asleep. All she could think about was Stefanie.

As Elsa lay in her bed and stared out the window, she reflected on the irony of it all. She had prepared herself for political intrigue, for mistrust, for requests to use her magic in warfare, for trade agreements, and for a dozen other scenarios. She had not prepared herself for the possibility that she might fall in love.

She tried as hard as she could to be rational. She now understood how Anna had felt when she had rushed in and breathlessly announced her intention to marry Hans. The euphoria of discovering That Magical Someone was overwhelming. And yet, Stefanie was nothing more than an acquaintance she had met that day!

At this point, Elsa was about halfway through her tour. She had scheduled two nights each at most of her stops, but she had scheduled a third night in Denmark, thinking she might need the rest, and that extra day now seemed fortuitous. The next day, she and Stefanie rode through the countryside, and found they had a lot in common. They discussed international politics as easily as they did gardening and ballroom dancing.

The following afternoon, Stefanie taught Elsa how to play chess, but despite Elsa's intelligence, she couldn't quite grasp the strategy. Stefanie told her that it was a complex game which few ever mastered. Then Elsa joined the royal family for a game of croquet, and they all laughed and had a marvelous time.

After dinner, Stefanie asked Elsa to take a walk with her. They strolled in the moonlight along the promenade by the river which ran next to the castle.

"My father has entertained the notion of asking one of my brothers, or one of our high-ranking noblemen, to court your hand," Stefanie said.

Elsa gave a tight, polite smile and looked down in humility. Stefanie, not unkindly, observed her reaction carefully.

"But I think I can talk him out of it," Stefanie continued. "My father is a brilliant man, but in some things, he is not as perceptive as my mother and myself."

It took a few seconds for her words to register. When they did, Elsa looked at Stefanie curiously.

"My dear Queen Elsa, you are a polished and practiced stateswoman, but there are some areas in which your skill at hiding your feelings is simply dreadful!"

Elsa just stared at her, not knowing what to say.

Stefanie just smiled back. She stopped and held Elsa's hand. Elsa realized, with an electric tingle all over, that this was the first real physical contact she had actually had with Stefanie.

"I will be very blunt," Stefanie said. "I am happy to know you. You are an amazing and beautiful woman, and you have a keen intellect. I expect, and hope, to correspond with you for the rest of our lives, and I am sure we will have the most incredible discussions. But I have no romantic or sexual interest in other women. I am attracted to men. I am sorry, but I cannot be the woman you want me to be."

Elsa's face was tight. To her immense shame, tears pricked her eyes. She desperately tried to hold them back.

"It's all right," Stefanie said. "Your heart has never been broken before. Mine has, so I know what it feels like." She put her arms around Elsa and held her tight. "Let it out."

Elsa sobbed on Stefanie's shoulder. They stood there for many minutes. Stefanie never rushed her, but held Elsa for a long time, until the queen had cried out all her grief.

Still holding her, Elsa said, "You must think me a fool, to hurt so much over someone I've only known for two days."

"No, I think you are someone who has been locked up for most of her life and never known love."

They gently pulled apart. Tears still streaked Elsa's face. "That's one of the many reasons I am in love with you," Elsa said. "You are wise beyond your years."

"Only because I have been hurt before. You are wise in your own way, for the same reason. It's life's oldest and greatest paradox: wisdom only comes from pain and loss."

Elsa gave a small smile. "I suppose that's true."

"And I know that a woman as wonderful as you will find your love. Perhaps not today, perhaps not tomorrow. But soon."

"I hope so."

"It doesn't feel like it right now, but it will get better."

Elsa smiled. "Thank you for your kindness."

"I count you as a friend. I could do nothing less."

They smiled at each other.

"Now, my mother wants to play some songs on the organ tonight, and we have asked a local group of singers to come sing for us," Stefanie said. "What do you say we go to the parlor and enjoy the evening?"

"I would like that very much!"

* * *

Anna dipped the tiny quill into the ink and made a delicate check mark next to the date and the words _Denmark 3_.

It was Elsa's itinerary. Her visits had been meticulously scheduled, and Anna knew that Elsa desperately wanted to be punctual at each one. Even though the sisters couldn't communicate across the distance, Anna began each day by checking it off the itinerary and imagining the land Elsa was visiting that day. In her mind, she created the foreign castles and towns and waterfronts. She imagined what the leaders of the other countries looked like, and what Elsa might be saying to them.

After indulging in these fantasies for about five minutes, Anna did what she did every day: she set the paper aside and resolved not to think about Elsa for the rest of the day.

There was a knock at the study door.

"Come in," Anna called.

A councilor entered and said, "Prince Heinrich of Weselton will arrive in about fifteen minutes, Your Highness."

"Thank you. Have Gerda send up some delicacies, and show the prince in here when he arrives."

"Yes, Your Highness."

When she was alone again, Anna suppressed a shiver and pressed her hands together as if in prayer, trying to calm her nerves. Elsa had promised to honor whatever she did as acting ruler, even if it wasn't what she would have done. But Anna wanted to do a job Elsa would be proud of, and that meant not screwing up the new trade agreement with Weselton, which it fell to her to negotiate. She had spent the previous two days preparing in every way she could think of.

Anna took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to release the stress of having a nation in her care, and silently wished for Elsa's speedy return.

* * *

As Anna made a checkmark on a piece of paper hundreds of miles away, Elsa took her leave of the royal family of Denmark. She knew she had made a lifelong friend in Princess Stefanie, and invited her to visit Arendelle whenever she wished. Stefanie promised she would.

As the _Andersen_ set sail, Elsa marveled at all she had just experienced. In a span of three days, she had fallen in love, had had her heart broken, had grieved that heartbreak, and had already begun to heal. If emotions could be compared to weather, she had just experienced a tornado: a brief, all-consuming, terrifying, destructive whirlwind which struck without warning and, upon passing, left her wondering what the heck had just happened.

She would never chastise anyone for falling in love at first sight again.

She spent every waking moment writing every detail of the experience in her journal. Not because she needed a record of it, but because she needed to get it out of her. She needed to be free of all emotional baggage for the rest of her tour, so she furiously poured her feelings into her journal, desperate to finish before they reached the Netherlands.

She completed her task just before ten that evening. Mentally and emotionally exhausted, she strolled around the deck for a few moments, breathing in the fresh air and filling her mind with the cloudless, starlit sky. She took off her bracers for several minutes and let her power flow, making a few ice sculptures to amuse the crew.

Then she went to bed and slept as deeply as she ever had.

* * *

Her composure restored, Elsa enjoyed her time in the Netherlands and in Belgium.

In Belgium, Elsa fretted deeply when word reached her that the Grand Duke of Luxembourg felt snubbed because she wasn't visiting him. So Elsa sacrificed another rest day she had scheduled in order to fit one more country into her tour, and technology allowed her to do this.

The King of Belgium helped her to send a message to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg by telegraph, an invention Elsa had heard about but never seen. Then she was introduced to another technological wonder she had heard about but never seen: a steam locomotive. A train ride of several hours was all it took to visit Luxembourg for a day, where she was well received. She marveled at the technological achievements of instantaneous communication over distance and speedy travel over land.

The extra trip to Luxembourg left her exhausted. She knew she should have slept on the return train ride, but she couldn't stop gazing out the window, marveling at the sight of land passing by so quickly.

Then it was on to one of the stops she was dreading: The Southern Isles. Not because she was expecting to be treated rudely, but exactly the opposite. She knew King Brogan would fall all over himself to apologize for his youngest son, and while an apology would be nice, she didn't hold him responsible, and she didn't want him to make a big deal out of it. She also didn't want King Brogan to think she was visiting just to get an apology, which was why this stop was near the end of her tour; by making it one of the last countries she visited, she was hoping to imply that it was a visit like any other.

King Brogan did indeed apologize profusely for what Hans had done, and it took all of Elsa's diplomatic skill to assure him she was all right. After the first few hours, she enjoyed her visit in the Southern Isles much more than she thought she would.

Then it was on to France, where, unsurprisingly, the king asked her to use her magic in his service, promising rich rewards in return. Elsa adamantly proclaimed Arendelle's neutrality, and she had to reiterate this so much that she became quite stern and almost lost her patience. She also had to reassure the King of France that she had no intention of helping the Netherlands, Spain, England or Portugal.

She received the same propositions in Spain, Portugal, and England. She had expected it. They hadn't quite finished carving up the New World, yet. Elsa was secretly disgusted by their desperate need to outdo one another, by their insatiable hunger for more land and more power. Arendelle got along just fine with the rich and wonderful land it had. She wished other nations would do the same.

Elsa had been looking forward to her visit with Queen Victoria the most, but actually meeting her was a disappointment. Queen Victoria visited with her briefly, then fobbed her off onto some lesser nobles and Elsa never saw her again for the rest of the visit. Aside from repeatedly denying their request for a formal alliance, she felt like she accomplished almost nothing in England. She gave the usual speech about how she was a peaceful ruler who had no intention of using her power, and that she had no control over the natural winter, but she got the distinct impression that they simply did not care. She was an afterthought to them. It was a sad and perplexing end to what had otherwise been a successful and memorable tour.

Elsa chose not to worry about it. England could take care of itself. She indulged in some pride, knowing beyond doubt that her tour had created an enormous amount of goodwill, and had done more to secure Arendelle's future than a thousand warships could ever have done.

Elsa had calmed the fears of her people; she had found a way to control her power; and she had calmed the fears of her neighbors. For the first time since the night of her coronation, she felt truly at ease about the future.


	11. Chapter 11 - With You in My Arms

Anna stood at the study window looking out to sea, desperately trying to be free of the black hole in the pit of her stomach which devoured her emotions, sapped her very will to live.

Gerda entered and said gently, "Your Highness, a coalition of the townsfolk are respectfully requesting the release of reparation funds. They say it's urgent."

Anna shook herself. "Yes, of course," she murmured. In a daze, she went to the desk and tried to write an order to the treasurer, but her hands shook so much that she knocked over the ink pot.

"Oh!" she cried.

Gerda rushed forward to clean it up. "It's all right, Your Highness," she said. "The spill isn't that bad."

Anna looked around for a moment, completely lost, then burst into tears.

Gerda sighed, walked around the desk and held Anna in her arms. Anna cried into her chest.

"It will be all right," Gerda said. "Whatever happens, it will be all right."

"She's three days overdue!" Anna wailed.

Gerda closed her eyes, wishing she could ease the pain of her princess. Just three years after losing her parents to the ocean, all the signs indicated that it had taken her older sister, as well. The storm which had rolled in off the Atlantic on the day the queen was due to return had been one of the worst in living memory.

"You need to be strong, Your Highness," Gerda said. "Strong for Elsa. Strong for your people. Barring the queen's return, you and Kristoff are all they have left. Make Elsa proud of you."

"I know," Anna said. "But I finally got her back after fifteen years, and now she's gone again! We only had a few weeks together!"

Gerda patted her on the back. "Treasure the time you spent together, and know that you will see her again. But you are the ruler of Arendelle, and you need to start acting like it." She let go of Anna and looked at her sternly.

Anna sniffed and wiped away her tears. "Yes, of course," she said. "Thank you, Gerda."

"We are all here for you, Your Highness."

Kai entered and said, "Your Highness, the mayor would like to know if you are going to declare the queen deceased. He wants to know if the people should mourn."

Anna took deep breaths and tried to bring her tears under control. "I will not declare the queen dead until I have proof, or until she has been missing for a year and a day."

"Let me get some soap to clean up this ink, Your Highness," Gerda said, and left.

Anna finished writing her order to the treasurer and gave it to Kai to deliver, then quickly left the study.

There was someone she needed to see.

* * *

Anna found Olaf on the terrace. The snowman looked strangely subdued, yet serene.

"Olaf, can you sense the queen?"

"Um...what does that mean?" Olaf asked.

Anna knelt in front of him. "Are you in communion with her somehow? Can you feel her presence? Maybe even hear her thoughts?"

"I don't think I can do any of those things."

"Can you tell me if she's alive?"

Olaf gave a gentle smile. "I think so."

Anna gasped. "Really?"

Olaf shrugged. "It's...just something I feel. That's all."

"If Elsa died, would you cease to exist?"

"Does a child die when a parent dies?"

"It's not the same thing. You're a product of the magic which lives within Elsa."

"She gave me a complete life, Anna, not tethered to her. Think about the kind of person Elsa is. She would never want the things she created to go away upon her passing."

Anna looked at Olaf with wonder, then stroked the side of his face. "That's so true," she whispered. "Thank you for reminding me."

* * *

At two in the morning, the dockmaster awoke to a pounding on his door. He ran to the docks while pulling on his coat, then stopped and stared as the ship encased in ice sailed into harbor.

As he watched, an iceberg formed around the ship, then the ice shifted and changed shape. More ice rose from the sea in some places and receded in others, and in so doing, maneuvered the ship into a position adjacent to one of the docks. The ice solidified around the ship and the dock, binding them together.

On board the ship, the crew were cheering and applauding.

A set of ice steps materialized, and Queen Elsa, Captain Danielsen, and the crew of the _Andersen_ disembarked.

The dockmaster ran forward. "Your Majesty!" he cried. "Where have you been? We thought you were dead!"

"I am very much alive," she said, putting on her bracers. Her face was haggard. She was obviously exhausted.

"Our ship was blown against the rocks," Captain Danielsen said. "We all would have died were it not for the queen's magic. She formed an island of ice around us and kept us afloat."

The dockmaster looked in amazement at the _Andersen_ and the ice which encased its hull.

"The _Andersen_ needs major repair, and we need all baggage unloaded," Captain Danielsen said. "See to it at once."

"Yes, sir," the dockmaster said, and hurried off to wake the longshoremen.

"Captain, I'll be retiring immediately," Elsa said.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Let me walk you to the castle."

Upon Elsa's approach, the night watch woke the servants.

Gerda and Kai met Elsa at the door. "Your Majesty!" they both cried.

Gerda wept with joy. "It's a miracle!" she exclaimed. "Kai! Wake Princess Anna!"

"No," Elsa said, swaying on her feet. "Do not wake the princess. I need to go to bed immediately."

Gerda was horrified. "But...Princess Anna is worried sick about you!"

"I understand, but I need to sleep," Elsa said. "Anna would keep me awake...I just need...I need..."

Elsa collapsed. Captain Danielsen caught her and lifted her in his arms.

"Bring her to her room!" Gerda commanded.

They ascended the stairs and rushed to the queen's bedroom. Captain Danielsen laid Elsa on her bed, then quickly retreated to the corridor, feeling his presence in the queen's bedroom to be inappropriate. Kai joined him.

Gerda placed a pillow beneath Elsa's head, then left the room and closed the door behind her. "Is she ill?" she asked.

Captain Danielsen shook his head. "Not to my knowledge. She simply has not slept for two days. She singlehandedly brought us home."

"Thank you, sir," Kai said.

Captain Danielsen gave a polite bow.

As the two men walked off, Gerda rushed to Anna's bedroom and knocked on the door. "Princess Anna, please wake up! I have news!"

"One moment!" Anna called. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal Anna in her nightgown. Kristoff stood behind her, dressed in his bedclothes and a robe.

"Your Highness, the queen has returned safely!" Gerda said.

Anna's face lit up with the joy of a million suns. "Elsa's back?!" She started to head past Gerda, but Gerda placed a hand on her chest and held her gently but firmly.

"The queen has returned, but she collapsed from exhaustion," Gerda said.

Anna turned to Kristoff. "I must be with her!"

He nodded. "Of course. Of course."

Anna grabbed a lamp, lit it from Gerda's lamp, and rushed to Elsa's room, with Gerda on her heels. The princess didn't bother knocking, but ran straight inside, then stopped immediately.

Anna stood framed in the doorway, staring in wonder. Tears streamed down her face.

Elsa lay on the bed, still in her dress, snoring softly.

Anna slowly approached, set her lamp on the bedside table, and sat beside her sister. She put a hand on Elsa's arm and gazed at her, weeping. Gerda looked on from the corridor.

Anna turned to Gerda. "Thank you, Gerda. For everything. I will attend to the queen for the rest of the night."

Gerda bowed and closed the door.

Anna turned Elsa over and unlaced the back of her dress so she could breathe more easily. She knew Elsa had to be truly exhausted because the queen did not wake. Anna didn't want to pull down the bed covers while Elsa was lying on them, as she would have to roll Elsa around to do it, so she found a spare duvet in a closet and covered Elsa with it.

Then, still weeping with joy, she climbed into bed beside Elsa and wrapped her arms around her. She laid her head on Elsa's chest and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Elsa slowly awoke with the refreshed soul of one who has just had a good, long, hard sleep.

Sunlight streamed into her room. After three weeks in foreign castles and in her cabin aboard the _Andersen_ , her room looked strange. She suddenly realized that she had no idea how she'd gotten there or what her last memory was. She panicked for a few seconds, then it all came back to her, and she relaxed again.

Then she became aware of the snoring, and the slight pressure on her chest. She looked down and smiled, her heart filled with love.

Of course, Anna would hold her through the night. How could she have done anything else?

Elsa kissed the top of Anna's head and wrapped her arms around her. Anna made noises of contentment and snuggled more deeply into Elsa's embrace.

Elsa just lay there, lost in the feeling of holding Anna. Minutes later, Anna's breathing became normal, and Elsa knew she was awake.

Neither said anything. They didn't need to. They lay in each other's arms, perfectly relaxed. The sunbeams crept along the wall. The day took care of itself.

Elsa's stomach growled. Anna giggled.

Elsa kissed the top of her head again and said, "I have to get up."

Anna flung back the duvet, rolled away and sat on the edge of the bed, yawning and stretching. Then she walked to the window and looked out at the beautiful day before her.

After a few minutes, Elsa joined her and took her hand.

"I died a thousand deaths every moment you didn't appear," Anna said.

"I'm sorry. I hope I never put you through that again."

"What happened?"

"On our way back, the storm blew our ship onto the rocks. We would have died if it weren't for my magic and the fact that ice floats. I encased the ship's hull in a thick coat of ice. Once the storm passed, I created a rudder made of ice at the stern, and Captain Danielsen instructed me how to turn it. I kept having to reform the rudder because it kept breaking off. Between the rudder, my clumsy steering, and our sails, we slowly zig-zagged our way home. It took several days, and I had to concentrate on the rudder the entire way, because if I ever stopped, we would go off course and it would take even more time to get home, and our food was running low. When we returned I was so exhausted I could barely stand. I don't even remember coming back to the castle."

"You're amazing."

"I am blessed," Elsa whispered, tears in her eyes.

"We both are!"

Elsa looked at Anna with love in her eyes. "Look at everything we've achieved, and everything we've found, since that moment you placed yourself between me and a villain's sword. There has been a lot of damage in our lives, but together, we have healed."

Anna grinned at her, tears of joy forming in her eyes. "And now the future is boundless."

"And we need never be parted again."

They held each other for a long time.


End file.
